Kagome's secret
by CayaC
Summary: Sesshoumaru offers Kagome to go with him to train at his palace, Kagome agrees, but she has a secret. A secret that cannot be revealed as of yet. But what does that have to with Sesshoumaru? Please review!
1. Kagome's untold secret

**Author's note:**

**Hello my dear readers! Some days ago I ducked this out from the mess in my closet, and had completely forgotten about this story, but it was the first one that I actually completed handwritten! Whereas, Kagome's Path was pc written in here. All I need to do now is write it down on my pc and edit it. SO, this story should not take too long to get out… Anyway, I do hope you enjoy it : ) **

**Oh, a little detail… This is a Kikiyo/ Inu-Yasha hate story… Just to get it out ; )**

**All of you who are waiting for the chapters to: Kagome's second journey, To find a reason to live and The Miko youkai, I will just say, DO NOT WORRY**. **Just because I have yet to write them, I will work hard for you to get them out : )**

**So please read, enjoy and review **

**Love**

**CayaC **

* * *

><p>Chapter 1 –<p>

Kagome –

It was a warm morning. Kagome crawled on top of her sleeping bag and enjoyed the heat on her skin

'_What a wonderful morning! I can feel it's going to be a good mor…'_

"Oi Wench! Get your lazy body moving, we do not have all day!" she heard Inu-Yasha yell

'_Never mind…'_ Kagome sighed and got started on her morning routines. Not long after, she was ready to go

"Took you long enough! Kikiyo and the others have been ready for an hour" Kagome smacked her teeth hard together in annoyance

'_One… two… three…'_ she inhaled and then exhaled slowly. Since she started on meditate to better control her powers and emotions, she had gotten a lot stronger and most importantly, more _patient_. If she had not learned to control her emotions, she would have purified Inu-Yasha's demon out of him a long time ago.

She slowly turned to face Inu-Yasha with such indifference on her face, and a glare so intense that Sesshoumaru would have been proud!

'_He he… Sesshoumaru proud of ningen! Impossible… rather impressed…'_ Kagome scoffed mentally. Inu-Yasha froze and starred at her in disbelief, since it was still so uncommon of her in their eyes

"Well, are we going or what?" Kagome asked without any emotions portraying on her face or in her voice. The she grabbed her bag, bow and arrows and started walking, accompanied by Shippou, Kirara; Kirara resting on Shippou's head, and Sango and Miroku, who both wore frustrated faces. Only Kikiyo and Ini-Yasha remained still standing on their spot as before, whispering to each other.

* * *

><p>Many hours later, Inu-Yasha finally came running with Kikiyo on his back<p>

"We will camp here for the night" Kagome stated. Every one of _her_ friends agreed and started to set up the camp.

Later that evening, Kagome decided to go out meditate (Which she definitely could NOT do, with Kikiyo and Inu-Yasha around) so, she took her bow and arrows, fastened them to her body

"I am going for a walk, see you later guys" Kagome put a forced smile on her lips and waved before turning on her heels and walked into the forest, in search for a peaceful spot. She let her mind wander in her search

'_They don't even see __**me **__anymore. Only Shippou… Sango and Miroku is so full of each other, either training, kissing or talking theories or demon talk… So boring… Inu-Yasha and Kikiyo stays for themselves and has been since she joined 6 months ago… I know they talk of my lack of skills, but we haven't been in a real battle for months, so I have not been able to show them who lacks skills!'_ she hissed mentally

Kagome stopped dead in her tracks. She sensed a powerful youkai about ½ mile from her and approaching. She was glad that she had covered her aura and scent. She looked to her right and then her left, deciding where to go. She then made a choice, and went to her left, hoping to put a distance between her and the unknown youkai. Not a long way ahead, Kagome stumbled upon a small clearing with a small, but beautiful waterfall

"Sugoi..!" She had found a perfect spot next to the waterfall on a large boulder. She crawled on top of it and crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knees and began meditating to relax, focusing on her breathing. She put up a barrier, just in case someone was to interrupt her. She could feel some youkai's nearby, but not close enough for her to break her meditation. She then changed her arms and hands stands, so her fingers touched and formed a big O with her fingers, so she could practice a bit with her powers.

After half an hour, a small sound broke her concentration, but she chose not to show it, and remained in her meditation position. She again, changed her hand stands, to again letting them rest on her knees, with her fingers slightly touching the thumbs. She then concentrated on searching the grounds for auras, and to Kagome's surprise, she felt the previous strong youkai, watching her, only few meters away up in a tree

'_There is something familiar with this aura…'_ she concentrated on the youkai's aura and was quite surprised

'_Sesshoumaru…'_

Kagome just continued sitting still, pondering over the fact that the Great Lord Sesshoumaru were _watching_ her

'_What is he doing lurking in the trees?... IT IS FREAKING ME OUT!' _Kagome took a deep breath and concluded that she would take the chance to speak to him and see where it would lead… Hopefully not to her death… She had improved a lot when it came to her abilities… But not _that_ much, or so she felt

"Is there something I can help you with Lord Sesshoumaru?" she tried asking politely, still with her eyes closed. At first there were no sounds or indications that he had heard her or had moved, but she knew better. She was still focused on his aura and that was how she knew he was currently standing just outside of her barrier. She opened her eyes calmly and looked into his eyes. They were more different from Inu-Yasha's yellow and emotional eyes. Sesshoumaru's shined like gold, and held no emotion whatsoever

'_They have not been like that always…'_ she thought a bit sad. She was a bit startled when he spoke, but she didn't show it

"Where is the hanyou?" Kagome sighed

'_I do not need Inu-Yasha to protect me anymore, thank you very much'_ she couldn't help but think disgusted and annoyed. She looked back up into his eyes

"probably in our camp" Silence. They just starred at each other. Kagome, who hated silence, played with a strand of her hair, feeling very uncomfortable. It was so awkward

"Anything else I can help you with Lord Sesshoumaru?" There! She broke the silence! Or… not… Still silence, and still with him starring at her. It was unnerving. Anger and frustration bobbled in heat in her body

"It is not polite to stare Lord Sesshoumaru, so if there is nothing more I can help you with, then I will resume with my meditation, since I do not get much time to do it in" and with that Kagome closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru –<p>

He was near Inu-Yasha's camp. This was not the first time he had gone out with the attempt on spying on the group. They were, after all, the group that dealt with Naraku. And he wanted Naraku's head, badly. He had kidnapped Rin twice, massacred 2 youkai, and 1 human village on his lands. Unacceptable! He was the Lord of the Western Lands, and he could not let a _hanyou_ ruin what was his. He stopped, both in thoughts and steps. He had heard something to his right. Curious, he followed it, and when he was near enough, he jumped up on a tree branch to get a better view. The sound had been from the waterfall, but it was what sat next to it that caught his attention. There, on a large boulder, sat a woman meditating. She was surrounded in a pink barrier. She had raven colored hair. She was young, and clean, with a healthy looking skin, that looked soft. Her lips had a perfect pink color. He shook his head. He had to admit she was attractive, but she was a human miko! Then he looked at her again, more intently, and that was when realization kicked in

'_It is the half breeds wench'_ he saw her change her hands position to rest on her knees with her fingers touching lightly. He watched her curiously. He knew she was strong, even though she had yet to display her true powers, and that power was incredible! The amount of power she had in the barrier around her alone, spoke volumes! He was not even sure if HE could get through it. He was surprised when she spoke, shocked that she knew it was him, but he did not show it, no, he held his composure.

In a heartbeat he stood in front of the barrier. He was again surprised (And still did not show any sign of it) that she was not the least surprised by his sudden appearance. She did not speak so he chose to speak instead

"Where is the hanyou?" He was curious as to why she was not with him, seeing how overprotective the hanyou was, and he was not sure if she could protect herself without the barrier, bow and arrows

"Probably in our camp" she answered indifferent. No emotion on her face or in her voice. This was very unlike her. She would always be happy or sad or angry. She always showed emotion. But here with him she showed him none. He did not know if he liked it, and the other hand, he was satisfied with her learning the skill. That would definitely stop him from killing her, if she started getting angry and started a fight, like she usually would have, but she was still sitting down calmly, talking to him with the respect he deserved

'_Interesting girl… She never seize to amaze this Sesshoumaru'_ his thoughts stopped when she again spoke, and with his youkai hearing he could hear slight annoyance in her voice, but then his brain told him she had been speaking 2 seconds ago, when he had been in deep thought… He could not blame her annoyance towards him

"It is not polite to stare Lord Sesshoumaru, so if there is nothing more I can help you with, then I will resume with my meditation, since I do not get much time to do it in" and with that she closed her eyes. He just looked at her and took a sniff

'_She has masked her scent'_ He felt a little disappointed. He remembered she smelt good for a human. Of lavender and apples. She shifted her hand pose back to her former, and it looked like she was concentrating. Before he could stop himself he had spoken up

"Why are you sitting out here alone meditating?" He knew he was being _nosy_, but she behaved so out of character, it actually caught his interest. And when he was curious and interested, it did not disappear until he was satisfied. The miko opened her eyes again, and he looked her deep in her eyes, and admired her deep blue eyes that had used to change shades, according to her emotions, but again her eyes now… seemed dull

"It is impossible for me to meditate near Inu-Yasha and Kikiyo. They do not give me peace unless I am asleep, goes for a walk or when they have gone out to rut" she answered blunt and honestly

'_So, he is with the dead priestess'_ He again started to observe her

'_She does no longer seem to care for the hanyou'_ he was pleased with that thought. It had been disturbing seeing her cry so many times because of the hanyou

"And I am meditating and training my powers in secret, for 3 reasons. 1: I simply do not want them to know… yet. 2: I want to become stronger by myself, until I need help to advance. 3: If they don't know, then my enemies do not either" she spoke softly to him and gave him one of her rare genuine smiles, and he was pleased that she continued to speak

"I am almost at an end to my miko training, and I have perfected my bow skill… So, now all I need is to find someone who can train me in hand – to – hand combat and swordsmanship…. And it is not going to be Inu-Yasha…" she stopped talking. She had finally led an emotion slip. Confusion. Maybe she was wondering why she had been so open to him. But the confusion he saw, quickly disappeared. He did not know what to say, but he took a moment to think of what she had said

'_So, she had been training in secret, and is determined to learn how to fight… Interesting…'_ He looked at her again. Something definitely had changed with her. She held her head high, showing no fear, no emotion. She was polite, respectful… This human confused him to no end. He was drawn to her, and when he locked eyes with her, they seemed so familiar, even the way she spoke now, the way she said his name… It just all seemed so familiar. He had watched her in a while, and this change seemed drastic. He was intrigued. He wanted to know more of her, so he came to a conclusion and would give her a choice

"If you are serious to learn the craft and are willing to teach Rin, then you have this Sesshoumaru's acceptance in coming to stay at this Sesshoumaru's palace.

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

Kagome looked at him in shock, but quickly gathered herself. He had seen it; she knew that, with the smirk he had on his lips. She thought about what he had just offered

'_He could give me the training I need, and I would not be near Inu-Yasha and Kikiyo'_ she looked at Sesshoumaru again

"It is a great honor and I would like to accept, but I do have some things that I would need to do, if I really do go with you…" she talked calmly, so as to not upset him. He nodded for Kagome to move on

"1: I would like to stay the night to say goodbye to my friends. 2: I still want to search for jewel shards. 3: Since I have adopted Shippou, I want to take him with me. He could be a good playmate for Rin, since he does not get to meet anyone on his own age…" she looked at him cautiously, and waited for an answer, not that she expected him to agree to all of the terms…

"This Sesshoumaru accepts your terms. This Sesshoumaru will meet you tomorrow at your camp" he turned to leave, but he stopped when she moved. Kagome removed her barrier and got down from the boulder

"Let us meet here tomorrow… That would be safer…" '…_and less troublesome_…'she thought. Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement

"Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru" she then bowed respectfully, picked up her things, and when she looked up, he was gone.

When Kagome got back to camp, she saw her friends were sitting as she had left them. She went over to the fire, where Sango, Miroku and Shippou was sitting around

"I have some news, that I have to tell you" they all looked up, even Inu-Yasha and Kikiyo came over and sat down

"What is it Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked. Kagome frowned at the honorific. She had never cared much for titles, but knew that it was important in this era

"I have decided to go on a journey myself, and I am taking Shippou with me" Kagome stated and walked over to her two closest friends, Sango and Miroku, giving them each a hug

"I need to do this, and you guys have to protect Inu-Yasha for me" Sango and Miroku nodded understanding where she was going with this… They had all talked about how Kikiyo was a bad influence on Inu-Yasha. They also knew how much she had, had to endure everyday because of the duo

"Kagome, I do not believe it to be a wise choice. How would _you_ get the shards? You can barely hit a tree with your aim" Kikiyo stated in disgust. If it had not been for her training in self discipline, she would have snapped and given Kikiyo a piece of her mind, but now was not the time

"I have found protection and a place to stay, and I do not care much for opinions from clay and dirt…" she glared at Kikiyo, who jut glared back

"Sango, Miroku, Shippou… Would you mind go for a walk just a second? Inu-Yasha and I need to talk with Kagome alone" Sango looked at Miroku, and Miroku at Sango. Then they both looked at Kikiyo with glares, and remained seated. They trusted her as much as a fat kid in a candy shop. Kagome almost giggled at that

"It is okay guys… It is just a talk" Kagome said reassuringly. They nodded and left, but Shippou remained at her side, glaring with suspicious eyes at Kikiyo. Kagome kneeled next to Shippou and picked him up. She looked at him with a strange look in her eyes. Then she hugged him and whispered, only for him to hear

"Sesshoumaru has promised protection. Go northeast until you find a waterfall. He will go there. Hide behind the boulder until I or he comes. Promise?" Shippou looked up at her. He saw determination, and that had seemed to be enough for the little kitsune kid. He nodded and ran as fast as he could in the direction given by his adoptive mother.

Kagome straightened up and looked at Kikiyo

"So?" Kagome asked neutrally. Kikiyo smirked and Inu-Yasha tensed, his eyes getting clouded

"I will handle this Inu-Yasha" she heard Kikiyo spout, and before Kagome could react, Kikiyo had grabbed her bow, and had notched an arrow in the same move. She then aimed at Kagome

"I will be taking my soul back" Kagome's eyes widen at first in realization, but then smiled wickedly, she couldn't help it

"I am afraid it is I, who needs the last piece of MY soul. Without it, I can't be me again" Of course, Kikiyo did not know what Kagome was talking about. No one did. Only Kagome and her family. She had gotten her memory back of her real life 2 weeks ago at her 20th birthday. It had come to her in a dream

2 weeks ago –

Dream –

_Kagome was sitting on a hill, gazing out in the distance when a servant came running up to her panicking_

"_Lady Aya! You must come quickly! The Lord and Lady need to see you at once!" Kagome got to her feet and quickly ran back down to the palace. Before she entered the study, she got a good look of herself in the iron doors reflection. She was a black inu youkai. Her hair, black and long, and ended at her knees. She had claws with purple tips. She had a black star on her forehead. A black and a purple stripe on each cheek, and a purple stripe on her eyelids, and like Sesshoumaru she had a big black fussy tail. She was the miko inu youkai princess of the Northern Lands. _

_She walked into the study and saw the distress in her parents' faces, which normally did not show any emotions_

"_The priestess who protected the Shikon no Tama is dead. We got to the jewel when they burned her. Fortunately they did not notice it, but we must keep it safe" her father said disturbed. He had the same markings as her, but instead of black hair, it was dark purple and his eyes were ice blue. She looked at her mother. Still same markings, and black hair as Kagome, but she had deep dark brown eyes_

"_It is now your responsibility, and your mother and I have discussed what needs to be done, so Naraku will not get it or kill you in the process of obtaining it" Kagome started to worry. Her mom had started crying, and fumbled with a silver necklace_

"_I will do what it takes. Naraku will not get it from me" Kagome said in a serious tone_

"_This enemy is not yet known. He is unpredictable and therefore we only have one option" her father took a deep breath and let it out slowly while walking two steps to lay a hand on Kagome's shoulder_

"_Aya, I will use my power combined with your mother's miko powers to create a time loop. You and the jewel will be going to another time where there will be little, to no knowledge of the jewel. Your mother has planted a spell on this necklace so you will forget everything and become temporarily human. You will get new memories and live with a new family and with the jewel inside of your body to protect it…" Kagome could not help but cry_

"_But… What about you? And my friends? Kira, Chi and Sesshy…."_

"_I know honey" her mother interrupted, hugging her. She too was barely able to control herself…_

_Dream end –_

And that had been it. It had trickered her brain, and she got her entire memory back. She could have gone back and stayed in the other time, but…It was not her real home. She was going with Sesshoumaru, she didn't know how he would react to all this… Not that she was allowed to say anything yet, anyway… She and Sesshoumaru had been the best of friends… She was thinking back to all their times together, but… A voice brought her back to the present. Kikiyo had called her something and had then shot her arrow, infused with purification energy. Kagome was quick to raise a barrier

"You do not believe that will work?" she heard Kikiyo ask. The arrow she had shot, went straight through, and broke her barrier, to Kagome great surprise, and the arrow hit her in her left shoulder. Kagome hissed, it hurt like hell! Kagome glared at Kikiyo, but it turned to a smirk when she remembered something from her secret training. Kagome concentrated on the spirituality energy, that were embedded in her shoulder, and tried to draw from it, since it was practically her energy anyway, Kikiyo had just borrowed it. Kagome looked at the energy while trying, and saw the energy disappear little, by little until none was left. Her tactic had ensured Kikiyo's attack had become worthless, expect for the fact she still had an arrow in her shoulder. Kagome tore out the arrow, grabbed her own bow, and notched the arrow, but before she got the chance to shot it, Inu-Yasha had drawn Tetsaiga and had thrust it right threw her. Kagome gasped in surprise and pain. She looked at him in disbelief, but he only smiled wicked at her, his eyes still clouded

'_He is being controlled, but whom… Naraku!'_ Kikiyo had been in liege with him all this time! Kagome coughed some blood up and went to her knees. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the auras nearby… She had to know if he was near

'_Sesshoumaru…'_ Her senses flared when she felt him. He was at the waterfall with Shippou already! Kagome, gasped in pain and in one final try she let her aura touch his so he could sense her distress. It could compromise her identity, since one would have, to have or have had a bond with the youkai or human to be able to touch ones aura with one's own. She opened her eyes, one last time to look at Kikiyo who was approaching her, with a big smile plastered on her face. Oh how Kagome wanted that bitch dead! Kagome collected what she had left of her energy in her and stretched her hand out towards Kikiyo. Before Kikiyo got to react a sphere of purification energy burst through Kikiyo's chest. Kagome more heard than saw the clay woman collapse to the ground, dead. Kagome took in a painful breath when she felt her soul heal itself back together, and waited... Either for Inu-Yasha's killing blow or Sesshoumaru's rescue.


	2. Explanations and half-truths

Chapter 2 –

Sesshoumaru –

He went back to their meeting place at the exact moment he had ordered his pack, back to his palace. Something deep within him screamed to be near the miko, this night and not the next. He pondered only a second on it and disregarded it as instinct.

When he arrived he found a scarred and worried young kitsune pup, hiding behind the large boulder. When the pup noticed him he tensed up, but bowed deep immediately after

"Lord Sesshoumaru. It is an honor to get to live at your palace" Sesshoumaru was looking in another direction, not really paying the pup any attention. Why would the miko leave her pup here alone? Without protection?

"Where is the miko?" he asked, finally giving the pup attention.

"With Inu-Yasha and Kikiyo. They are talking, but…" The pup looked in the direction; he knew the camp to be in… He could smell the half-breeds stench in that direction

"Speak" he said a bit harshly to get the pup to talk, and to be a bit quick about it. The pup's worry did not escape his nose.

"Inu-Yasha and Kikiyo has been acting weird… Kikiyo is up to something! She did not want mom to leave the pack…" the pup had started crying halfway in.

Suddenly they both tensed. He smelled and _felt_ someone in distress, in deep pain… But who was this _someone_, who could give out such a distress call, a call to ones soul?

"Kagome!" the pup screamed and started running in the direction of the camp. Sesshoumaru stopped the pup with a hand on his head

"This Sesshoumaru will return to you your mother" and with that said he ran high speed towards the camp.

* * *

><p>The Camp –<p>

When he got there he could not stop his shocked expression on his face. The dead priestess stood, a little away to his right with fear all over her face, and a good distance to his left stood Inu-Yasha, watching the kneeling and bleeding Kagome, who had the Tetsaiga impaled through her stomach region. Kagome then suddenly shot a large sphere of purification energy towards the dead priestess, which hit in only seconds. Sesshoumaru rushed to the miko who was now lying on the ground, still bleeding heavily. Inu-Yasha lay unconscious next to her. He did not take any time to ponder on what had knocked the imbecile out; he was kind of busy, trying to save the miko who attracted deadly attention more often than any other human being he knew off. Only one other that he knew of, had been as reckless as this human… But she was long gone…

He did not know what went over him, but before he knew it he had torn his sleeve of his haori and tied it around her stomach region, after he had pulled the Tetsaiga out of her… Again, his mind was elsewhere, he did not notice the sword not rejecting him…

He wrapped her in his moko moko-sama (**AN: Tail, don't know if I got it right**), picked her up, and then he ran as fast as he could back to the pup. The miko would be upset if he was to leave him behind, and change in attitude or not, he could not see himself getting away with endless discussion on the subject with this little miko… He sighed… How exactly did he get himself into this mess?... Oh yeah… training… Rin … She is … interesting, and he had not yet been satisfied. In a flash he was next to the pup, grabbed him (minding the miko in his arms) and then they were on their way to the palace.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru's palace –<p>

It had been a week now… And she was still not awake! Sesshoumaru was sitting at his desk, and tried to focus in his paperwork… land affairs… really important matters… He had already read the same 5 lines on the scroll, but his thoughts kept going back to the little miko, who was lying unconscious in one of his guestrooms. She had almost healed completely from the injury, which was extraordinary progress for a human! But she had yet to awaken. He started pondering over why his thoughts always seemed to return back to hi… the miko. He had been spying on them on occasions, saved her a couple of times after he got over killing her, since she sparked his curiosity, but had he started to _care_ for her? If he had, then was it in a same way he cared for Rin? No, that he could already deny. Maybe his curiosity of her and her potential played a big part of that? And just as that crossed his mind, a question came through, making his curiosity in her increase

'_How did she call me with her aura?'_ he pondered. The pup had been somewhat understandable, they seemed to have a strong mother-son bond, and if it were strong enough, then strong auras could obtain the ability to _touch_ others auras, but it have only been possible with ones who has a really strong _bond_. So how was she able to _touch_ his aura? When she would awake, he would ask her.

About an hour later he heard a knock on his study door.

"Enter" he said coldly. Jaken entered the study and bowed

"Lord Sesshoumaru, the miko is awake" Sesshoumaru looked up from his documents, and laid them calmly on his desk

'_Good, then now maybe I can get some answers'_ Sesshoumaru then nodded, indicating he had heard the annoying toad

"Tell the miko this Sesshoumaru will be there shortly" Jaken's eyebrow, which the toad must have copied from him, went up, but thankfully the toad just nodded, bowed deeper and then he finally left

'_Why was it I had him in my services again? His stench is … Horrible'_ Sesshoumaru then looked down at the document he had been reading before the interruption. He would look it over, one last time and would then go to get answers.

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

When she could feel, well _anything_ of her body again, she noticed that she was lying down on a _very_ comfortable bed. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a young girl, sleeping down at her feet, her head resting just below Kagome's knees.

"Rin?" Kagome asked, gently pushing her awake. Rin opened her eyes and in an instant she had her trade bright smile on

"Lady Kagome! You are awake! Rin is SO happy that you are awake!" the girl had started jumping joyfully up and down on the bed, but stopped quickly again to give Kagome a hug. Kagome could only smile at the girls antics

"See, Rin plucked flowers to Lady Kagome so it would smell nice when you woke up" Rin had a cute little blush on her cheek. God she was so cute!

"Thank you Rin, it does smell really lovely" the door suddenly opened and in came Jaken

"You are finally awake. I will notify Lord Sesshoumaru" she could see he wanted to say something more, but before he did indeed say whatever was on his mind, he had dashed out of the room… Toads… Then Rin started talking, and boy did she have a lot to say… It seemed she did not have anyone to confide in… Well, now she had, Kagome decided, and kept listening to the cute girl going on and on of what either Sesshoumaru had done or Jaken.

Once again, the door opened, and Jaken entered again. Didn't he know of knocking! Jeez…

"Lord Sesshoumaru will come and see you soon. Rin, breakfast" Jaken said stern. Rin sighed, but then smiled to Kagome

"Can you and Rin play later?" Kagome smiled at her and simply nodded. When Rin and Jaken had left, she went to the closet with clothes. She did not feel like meeting Sesshoumaru in her sleeping kimono. She looked through it, and found several beautiful kimonos. She picked a red and black kimono, and when she finally had it on, she brushed her hair… her hair had been a mess! Her head turned towards the door when she heard a knock

"Come in" she replied. Sesshoumaru entered the room, finding her eyes in seconds. Kagome stood and bowed to him

"Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru. Without you, I would surely have been dead, and Shippou would again had been an orphan" even though she was grateful, she kept her mask on. It was hard when it was Sesshoumaru though… He was once her best friend and confidant… But, he did of course not know that… hence the mask to not give herself away. She had made a promise, not to tell anyone of her true identity

'_I wasn't even supposed to come back to this time era at all!'_ She was definitely torn. But, it would no longer matter when they had destroyed Naraku and had the whole jewel again. Only then, would she be able to tell everyone the truth… And she could go home to her _real_ family

"What happened" Kagome was torn out of her stream of thoughts in surprise. He seemed… mad… He could not have figured it out already, could he? Kagome, mask in place, inhaled some air

"They wanted to talk… But, Kikiyo actually wanted my soul, and she had to act fast now when I wanted to leave the group, then under all the… fighting, I realized Kikiyo was working with Naraku and did something, maybe possession towards Inu-Yasha?, I don't know… but Kikiyo shot me with an arrow, and before I had the chance to repay the favor, Inu-Yasha had impaled me with his freaking HUGE Tetsaiga! I killed Kikiyo, and then all I remember was the darkness after that…" she ran out of air and inhaled. She hoped she could get away with that… She looked to see him narrow his eyes at her

"And how did you manage to _touch_ this Sesshoumaru's aura?" Kagome, still mask in place, but you could see the color on her face disappearing. She swallowed, trying to get some moisture through her suddenly dry throat

'_Shoot! Of course he would ask! He is extremely intelligent… Nothing goes by him… Damn…'_ but then another thought shot through her

"Where is Shippou?" she did not want to sound demanding, but his safety was all that was on her mind at the moment. Sesshoumaru on the other hand did not look to pleased with her change of subject

"Breakfast. Answer this Sesshoumaru's question" He narrowed his eyes even more at her, daring her to try and get out of it without some sort of explanation. Kagome inhaled slowly, her heart beating fast like crazy… Boy, what to say to a lie detector… hmm…

"As for what I can remember, I kind of panicked a whole lot… You know… Giant sword being sliced through me like I was butter…" Kagome stopped, seeing a small glimpse of confusion

'_Oh right… as if he knows what butter is…'_ Kagome cleared her throat, trying to hold down the embarrassment, since she almost blew _that_ cover too… Geez… True identity followed by future secret… this was bad

"_Anyway_ while I panicked I searched for your aura hoping you might be close… I almost drained myself completely from trying so desperately to get my distress call out…" Kagome put up a tired face, she had to act to her almost complete lie, most of it was the truth… he just did not need to know the small _other_ detail (you know, bond thing and all), and the fact it had taken very little effort to get the call out

"And it seems it worked… And for that I am so very, VERY grateful" again not a lie… Of course it worked… and of course she was grateful! Kagome send him a grateful smile to finish off, and show him the 'truth' in it all.

"It takes a strong bond to do what you did, and this Sesshoumaru _knows_ we do not have that. Your pup reacted to the distress call" Kagome looked at him surprised

'_Shippou? But I did not call for him… I do not even remember touching his aura with mine…'_ She more felt than saw he still wanted her to talk about the matter

"I did not call for him. I would never put my pup in that kind of situation where he would come to my rescue… I will never make him make that kind of choice… I only focused on your aura because I knew _you_ at least could do something… He couldn't…" And that was the truth… She would rather die than put Shippou into danger because of her. She looked at him with all the sincerity she could muster. Inside she was feeling nervous like hell, hoping he would just drop it at that… She would have to be more careful in the future, and hopefully, she wouldn't get into a life and death situation while staying at his palace, so that she was forced to take use power that she originally does not have as a _human_… Sesshoumaru looked at her, it almost seemed like he would not let the matter pas, but then he started to walk out of the room

"Get breakfast, stay when you are done. We have other matters to discuss" Kagome sighed in relief mentally, could not very well blow her cover after she nailed it, now could she? Kagome bowed and barely got to answer, because he was already on his way out the door

"Hai Lord Sesshoumaru" Then, she was alone, but she did not get to wait long since a knock sounded not to long after. She turned to look at the door, almost dreading he had changed his mind and wanted further explanation.

"Come in" she said nervously, and then a kitsune with red hair and big leaf-green eyes entered her room, a big smile plastered on her face.

'_Wow, this could actually be Shippou's big sister… They look so much alike!'_ Kagome looked at her, giving her the elevator look, not really noticing the kitsune looking at her with a mix of curiosity and fear

"Go… Good morning Lady Kagome… I will be escorting you… to the… dinner hall… Is something the matter Milady?" While the kitsune, who now looked to be really uncomfortable at the moment, had talked, Kagome had been circling around the poor servant… Kagome stopped up when she saw the servants face… She blushed a little embarrassed

"Oh… I am SO sorry… But you look so much like my adopted son… He too is a kitsune you see" The servant looked at her with wide eyes

"A miko adopting a kitsune pup?" she asked in total disbelief. Kagome sighed, and shook her head disappointed

"I do not discriminate… Humans are as bad as youkai… I do not kill youkai for sport, jeez…" Kagome threw up her hands in frustration. The servant blushed embarrassed

"I do apologize Milady. This lowly servant did not mean to insult your character. I do not know you, and I was too quick to judge" she was then in a low bow… Kagome smiled a little and walked over to the poor youkai, pushed her gently up again

"I accept your apology if you would _please_ drop the honorific AND do not ever call yourself lowly again… Scumbags like Naraku, HE is a lowlife… So no more talk of that okay?" the servant looked at her confused, but she did smile and nod.

"Now, lead the way so I can have myself some breakfast… I feel like I haven't eaten in a week!" at that the servant giggled, Kagome looked at her confused, but the servant just waved it off and showed her to the dining hall.

When they finally came to the dining hall, after an endless of turns that made it difficult for her to even try to find her room again, she entered. At the end of the table was of course Sesshoumaru, and Rin was seated to the right. A woman who looked like a really older version of a female Sesshoumaru was sitting to his left. Jaken was sitting just behind Rin on a mat. Kagome walked deeper in cautiously and bowed

"Good morning Lord Sesshoumaru" she then turned and bowed to the old woman. She looked like one with high status… She wondered who this inu-demoness could be. But she needed to be Lady-like in this situation, and show some kind of manner

"Good morning Lady…" hoping Sesshoumaru would introduce them. And he did

"This is Lady Sakura. She is this Sesshoumaru's grandmother" Kagome looked at the old woman again

'_Grandmother!? How come I never knew he had a grandparent still alive? How come he never told me!?'_ inside Kagome was fuming in anger, even though it was definitely not the time to ponder over that subject. She held it in her, and put on a smile to hide the feelings she actually felt

"It is such an honor to meet you Lady Sakura" she simply said. She had so many things she wanted to say at the moment… Name callings… Curses… But she would have to stay quiet for a moment… or two, to ease her temperament, and make sure she did not said anything revealing… She was very impulsive, and even she saw it as a flaw in herself sometimes… Especially when she had the tendency to say too much when she was mad… It would be very hard to explain why _she _would scold _him_ for not telling _her_ that he had a living grandparent. But fortunately Lady Sakura chose to pick up conversation

"Thank you dear, the honor is all mine. I hear you are the Shikon's priestess" there was a glint in her eye, Kagome could not describe. Kagome started to feel a bit uneasy by Lady Sakura. Kagome hurried to sit beside Rin… She had no desire to sit next to that old woman. Kagome put on a fake smile

"I am indeed" Kagome answered short and flat. Lady Sakura gestured for her to eat

"Now eat some breakfast, and then I was hoping in the meantime, you could tell stories of your journey" Kagome looked at her surprised. She had not guessed she would be interested in that stuff… Maybe she was bored with palace life? But! Her instinct told her to keep on alert with the Lady… She might be fishing for something… Scheming something… Because, she could not possibly _know_ about her? No, absurd! Kagome then first ate a little, and then she started her story… From when she met Inu-Yasha (Nothing about the time travelling, Kikiyo and her soul, or anything that was related to Sesshoumaru) When she was finally done, she took a sip of her tea, her throat had become a bit dry after that much talk. Then she started to eat again. She tried to eat and act normally as possible… Though… It was a bit hard with Sesshoumaru looking at her directly, no… More like starred at her directly the entire time she ate, saying nothing. She knew she had left many parts out, and that _he_ knew, but thankfully (hopefully) he remained silent… For now… Lady Sakura was too busy thinking, to notice anything at the moment.

"So, why are you here?" Lady Sakura finally asked. Kagome smiled and told the same half truth as she had told Sesshoumaru, but thinking back, she should have just left the aura calling bit out…

"I only have my miko powers and bow to rely on, and that will not be enough in the search of the shards and when the final battle comes against Naraku. So basically, I am here to train, to become stronger so that my friends do not have to save me every single time I get in trouble" Kagome answered, somewhat truthfully. She had been locked up in a black time-vortex for 48 years before she had actually arrived to the future and lived 3 years as a normal teenager, living with memories of her fake childhood and upbringing with the family she had lived with, in that time. But then she had 'accidently' went through the well again, unknowingly going back home. It had been 55 years since she had used a sword, so she desperately needed the training and to get back to her former self, well… as much as her 'human' capabilities would allow her anyway… Damned restrictions… She was also very rusty on her hand-to-hand combat skills, since she could not use her strength, agility and speed she _was_ used to.

'_Damn silver necklace, keeping me from doing my best_' it was the necklace, her real mother had given her. Well, back to the present… Lady Sakura seemed pleased with her answer. Then she started up a conversation with Rin about flowers and whatnots. Kagome continued with her food. She felt like sighing. He was _still_ looking at her… It was no longer just uncomfortable, now it was plain creepy! But she ignored it to the best of her abilities as a former high school actor (Which she had won the prize as best school actor 2 years in a row… Before the time travel started… and she had stopped that completely after the Inu-Yasha scandal at the school festival)

"Can Rin and Lady Kagome be excused Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked sweetly

"She will come to you when this Sesshoumaru has talked with her" he answered, with a tint of warmness in his voice, instead of the normal icy tone. Rin nodded smiling and ran out of the room, Jaken running right behind her, squealing and telling her to slow down

"Then I will be going to my chambers for the time being" Lady Sakura stated, and she to left rather quickly… Was she in trouble? Was that why it seemed like the old woman was fleeing? Kagome sat stiff in her seat, looking down at her plate, waiting for him to speak, since it was _him_ who had something to say. Kagome felt sad that he was like this. The Sesshoumaru whom _she_ knew, was not like _this_ Sesshoumaru. He used to be kind. He used to smile and laugh in her company, which only made him incredibly beautiful… She missed that. She had not noticed the tear that had escaped and travelled down her cheek, because she was so caught up in her thoughts, remembering… _him…_ She looked up at him in surprise when she felt his clawed hand wipe the tear away… It felt so nostalgic…

"What is upsetting you miko?" Kagome almost smiled, he had sounded a bit worried, but she shook her head mentally

'_If I had not been a 'human' then maybe…' _She came up with an excuse she had used often on her friends when they asked, though it was not always just an excuse

"I am only missing my family" Then again, a thought once again struck her

'_Shippou?! He was not here!'_ Kagome flatten a bit, ashamed at herself… She felt like a terrible mother, not even noticing he wasn't present!

'_What is wrong with me?'_

"Ano… Where is Shippou?" Sesshoumaru withdrew his hand, and looked away

"He has been practicing with his kitsune abilities, and must have declined breakfast" he answered. Kagome nodded, still feeling ashamed

"What do you want me to teach Rin?" she asked, changing the subject… Getting her mind off, of things… But also because she was curious as to what he believed _she_ could teach Rin. He probably saw her as a human with minor to none knowledge of anything

"Proper manner and etiquette" he replied. Kagome nodded, okay, that should not be too hard

"Has Rin been taught reading… or writing? Perhaps even mathematics?" Sesshoumaru looked her again, surprise clearly evident on his face. Score!

"No, she has not… Yet" he answered, looking at her curiously. Kagome smirked

"Then let me teach it to her. I would love to" He narrowed his eyes at her

"Are you telling this Sesshoumaru, that you, a mere human girl can read, write and do mathematics as well? You are of no noble family, or a high status youkai… How?" Again Kagome smirked

'_He he, not high status youkai? Prh… please…'_

"Where I come from I was taught… A lot" And that was the truth, he could just take a sniff to see if she was lying or not. And she had learned an enormous amount of new information, some she could use, other useless, from the other time era. Sesshoumaru nodded, seemingly accepting her explanation

"You will train after Rin's lectures at the end of the day. This Sesshoumaru will send someone to show you the way to the dojo" and with that he left the dining hall, leaving Kagome to eat the rest of her food. Oh, she could not wait!


	3. Trying not to blow cover

Chapter 3 –

Sesshoumaru –

Dream state –

_He was sitting on a hill. __**Their**__ hill… And he was waiting for __**her**__. This was their special place… The place where they talked about everything and nothing… At this place, they had laughed together and shared secrets. He felt… blessed, by having a friend such as __**her**__, like his Aya. _

"_Sesshy-kun" he heard the girl in his thoughts, call. He turned his head and saw her come up towards him with a big and bright smile she wore only for him. She had her raven black hair down today, and it flowed beautifully around her, swinging along with the movement of her hips. _

_She knelt down in front of him and cupped him face in her hands and looked him straight in his eyes_

"_Sesshy-kun" she whispered. He looked into the deep blue eyes of hers… How he could just stare into those the whole day… A tear travelled down her cheek, but she had a small smile on her face_

"_Please do not forget me Sesshy-kun" she said softly before giving him a light peck on his lips_

"_I will come back…"_

Dream state end –

Sesshoumaru woke instantly. It had been years since he had dreamt of _her_. It felt as if the dream had been important, but then again… He could just be seeing it as more than a dream, when it actually _was_ just a dream. Sesshoumaru got up to get clothed, a bit agitated

'_Why now?'_ he had never forgotten about her, but… years go by, he moved on, believing her to be dead, so it had been years he had dreamt of her. His Aya. It had been 52 years since her sudden disappearance. He had been… Furious… Crushed. She had left his side when he had finally come to realize his feelings for her. That he loved her… But it had been too late. After the war with the east he had went looking for her, but he never found any clue of her whereabouts, if she was dead or alive… Nothing… It was like she disappeared into thin air. The last good thing in his life had vanished with her.

Sesshoumaru growled. Now, he was not just agitated, but nostalgic! He had to distract his mind and blow of some steam, so he headed for his personal dojo, cursing the entire way (in his head of course! As if you would ever catch Sesshoumaru curse out loud! ; ) ) He had only wanted to take a small nap to get some energy in him. He had been sleeping terrible the last 2 weeks, which in itself was… peculiar. Nothing abnormal or stress related matters could be the course, for one, no one could put a spell on Sesshoumaru and not have his own personal dark priestess spotting it, and his paperwork came none stop, but they would be taken care of in his own time. But whatever it was, his beast had been reacting to it… Sesshoumaru finally arrived and went in to clear his mind.

* * *

><p>The Dojo –<p>

Sesshoumaru was a little startled when he entered, but of course he did not show that. He, Lord Sesshoumaru had forgotten an appointment! He blamed the dream that had come and disturbed him more than he would care to admit or like. The miko was standing in the middle of the dojo, apparently awaiting instructions. Well, at least that was a good sign

"You will fight this Sesshoumaru so we can estimate your level of… skills" He saw the miko raise her eyebrow at that. He could not help but compare the miko with Aya. They looked so alike in a way…

'_Wait! Comparing a human and youkai! Ludicrous… The miko do not reach Aya's standards' _he growled at himself. He then lashed at her with his fist, starting light to see her reflexes. Kagome knelt down quickly, and one of her legs was sent kicking towards his legs, but Sesshoumaru had seen it coming, jumping into the air, avoiding the kick. He back flipped in the air and landed gracefully on his feet. He then decided to check her reflexes when he used his youkai speed. He started running fast around her, circling around and around and… (Well, you get the drift)… He saw her close her eyes and seemed to concentrate… In a flash he was behind her, and when he was about to get his hit in with his fist, she had turned with abnormal speed, pushed his hand to the side, her other hand coming in for a hit. When he barely managed to catch her arm, she suddenly jumped up and back flipped, her left food kicking him in the jaw, which made him loose his grip on her arm. He looked at her in surprise… It had been a déjà vu… This _fight_, he had already fought… Against Aya… He shook his head, he could not think of her at the moment, since the miko seemed a bit more experienced that she had led on… He struck out again, and managed to hit her in the stomach region, which made her fly across the room. He realized he had _maybe_ been a little too rough, letting his frustrations out on the miko. He sighed; perhaps they should stop for the day. He quickly went to her side, to make sure he had not broken one of her weak human bones

"This Sesshoumaru forgot of your… human condition" that was as close to an apology anyone would get! But he knew she would have to toughen up if she wanted a chance to survive against other youkai… This fight had only been a test, and he had to admit he had been impressed. He watched as she got up slowly to her feet

"Do not worry about it. I would have to get used to it anyway" and then she flashed him a smile, showing him her hand closed except for the thump she stuck up… was is some kind of sign? Insult? But it did not seem like it in the way she smiled… He would just let it pass for now… But he was pleased with the smile, since it seemed it had been a while for her to smile a genuine smile and not a fake one, as he had seen often when she traveled with the half-breed. Sesshoumaru shook his head annoyed, he had gone to the dojo to clear his mind, and now his mind was thinking nonsense… He had to get some peace of mind

"You can go now. We will train again sometime tomorrow" and with that said he left the dojo, looking for a peaceful spot to clear his filled mind.

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

She was sore… Everywhere… It had been a while since she had moved _all those_ kind of muscles. She had been inactive, but come on! Being human sucked ass! Kagome shook her head, wanting to bang her head into a wall, for almost blowing her cover… again, she had used some of her youkai energy to boost her speed… and their fight, oh my god, their fight! Kagome paled… There was no way he would not have noticed that… It had become kind of like a routine when they had fought in the past, of course, the fight in the dojo just now had been a cheap short replica of it, but many of the moves had been the same… Now, she no longer wanted to bang her head into the wall, no now she just wanted to dig a nice big hole for herself to hide in… Kagome sighed before straighten up, mask in place. There could still be a chance he had just let it pass as… coincidence… She could only hope…

Kagome looked at the destination. This had to be it; she opened the door and was happy when she realized she had found her goal. A hot spring! Score! She went in, made sure there were towels, before she threw off her clothes and jumped into the spring. Kagome felt her muscles start to relax. She sighed in bliss, the total relaxing almost making her fall asleep. She washed herself clean, put on some clothes and went in the direction of her room.

When she had almost reached her room she was stopped by a servant

"Lady Sakura wishes to see you Milady" he said bowing, holding his hands to the side, gesturing her to go with him. Kagome simply nodded and they walked done through what seemed endless halls, barely with any doors. Finally after a little while they reached some big doors, the servant knocked on the door

"Enter" the servant then opened the door and gestured for Kagome to enter. Kagome went inside and heard the door being closed behind her… She felt oddly trapped… She walked a bit closer to the Lady and bowed

"You wanted to see me Lady Sakura?" She saw Lady Sakura's shoes come closer to her, and she looked up at her curious, with a little fear added in the mix when Lady Sakura walked a little too close to her, for her own personal comfort, and even more when the Lady leaned in and took a sniff. Kagome froze. She knew she could not hide the scent of pack marks completely, and Sesshoumaru's grandmother might just be strong enough to smell it? Kagome paled, even more so when she stopped sniffing her neck and looked Kagome straight in her eyes with a big knowing smile on her lips

"That is all" Lady Sakura said and walked back to her desk. Kagome quickly, a little panicked walked out of the room… When she finally reached her room she collapsed on her bed

'_She knows!'_

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru –<p>

Sesshoumaru woke up sweating again. He had again dreamed another dream, but like every night for the past 4 weeks, he was not able to remember a single detail of it. He got up irritated and went to his hot spring to get clean and cool off.

* * *

><p>Hot spring –<p>

He was leaning back in the spring, enjoying the temperature of the water, and thinking of the little miko, that had occupied his thoughts a lot lately. He had been training her for a month now, and she was doing well. To well, for a human. Not only that, if he did not know any better it seemed like she had some kind of experience in each thing he taught her, though she said nothing about it, or had never displayed the skills or knowledge before. He could not come up with an explanation for that, so he started wondering if he was just exaggerating? Was he? He admitted he did not know much of humans' capabilities or of her in any way… Her origin… Nothing… She was educated, had worn strange clothes, had an awful colored weird sack, in which she had items he had never seen before… And she held a massive power inside of her… He growled, he had to stop thinking about her! He would not, under no circumstance make the same errors as his father… He started thinking of ways to get rid of the miko without having to kill her when he heard a knock from the door

"Enter" a male servant entered, bowing deep

"Lady Sakura has asked for your presents Milord" Sesshoumaru nodded. The servant left and so Sesshoumaru got out, clothed himself and went to see his grandmother.

He knocked on the door to his grandmothers chambers

"Enter" he heard her reply. He entered and stood, waiting for her to speak about whatever matter she wished to discuss… He then narrowed his eyes at her when he saw that _look_ in her eye that meant she was scheming something again, and once again he would be the victim

"What are you intensions towards the young miko?" she asked serious. He looked her over suspiciously before answering

"To train and assist her in Naraku's demise" he stated flat. It was mostly the truth…That he did not mind the miko's company, was a fact she did not need to know. His grandmother narrowed her eyes at him

"And nothing else? You have not noticed something strange about this girl?" she asked curiously. Sesshoumaru looked at her confused. What was she playing? He got the feeling she knew something of importance that he, Sesshoumaru did not

"This Sesshoumaru is only interested in the demise of the half-breed Naraku" he answered coldly. His grandmother just shook her head in defeat

"Very well, if you want to stay blind then stay that way. That is all" she then turned and walked out on her balcony. Sesshoumaru went out the door, pondering over the meaning of her words. He knew there was something… strange about the miko, and it irritated and intrigued him that he could not pin point what it was. Deciding to do some work, he walked to his study.

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

'_She knows… She KNOWS!'_ it had been like a mantra from the moment she had exited Lady Sakura's room and till now. She was sitting on **their** hill, watching Rin and Shippou play tag.

'_She won't tell Sesshoumaru, would she?'_ she would have to leave. She could most defiantly not stay now… She was almost blowing her cover every day anyway, so it might just be for the best… She did not want to leave his side, but it would seem that part had to wait just a little bit more… Just until Naraku is dead. She started to plan on how to proceed with her departure, but stopped, when she felt the presents of a youkai coming towards them fast, and it was not Sesshoumaru

'_Damn it! I was too distracted to notice sooner!'_ Kagome got up on her feet

"Shippou, Rin run to safety now!" She yelled and got into a defensive position in front of them. She would have gone with them had it not been for the fact she had been so late, that the youkai would have caught up with them. Rather she hold him off until the pups was safe

"But mama…" Shippou started

"Now Shippou!" Shippou noticed the urgency in her voice, so he nodded; grabbed Rin's hand and they ran towards the palace.

The pups had not even made it halfway to the palace when the youkai came running out of the forest. It was a tiger youkai, a really big one

"You have jewel shards! Give them to _me_" she hissed and ran towards Kagome, claws up, ready to strike. Fortunately for Kagome she had become used to Sesshoumaru's speed, even in her human state, and the tiger youkai's speed to Sesshoumaru was nothing… The only problem that presented itself was… she had forgotten to take a weapon with her… She hurriedly raised a small barrier around her, to win some time to come up with a solution. The tiger youkai tried to get through the barrier, but she was not strong enough to get through it. Kagome had been so caught up thinking of a plan when she heard a girl scream

'_Rin!'_ Kagome turned her head in the direction of the scream and watched as two other tiger youkais surrounded her pups. She had not sensed the other two… What was going on with her today? Her mistake could end up killing her pups! That was when Kagome snapped. Her barrier lit up in pink light, which then exploded, purifying the tiger youkai she had 'fought' with. In speed, only youkai could move in, Kagome had run up to stand in front of Shippou in a second, she smelt his blood. Her hair flowing abnormally around her, her eyes blood red, and her face contorted in complete fury

"You have hurt my pup!" she growled out in an animalistic tune. She locked eyes with youkai who had dared to hurt her pup

"You have jewel shards!" it hissed at her, much like the other one she disposed of earlier. The youkai jumped towards her to attack, while the other one went for Rin. In a heartbeat Kagome had made a disc of purification energy in her hand and threw it forward towards the attacking youkai, before running in front of the screaming Rin.

…

Silence…

Rin opened her eyes and saw Kagome standing in front of her, blood running down her lips. Kagome followed Rin's gaze that travelled lower, only to see a hand sticking out of her gut. Kagome had just in time saved Rin, but she had not been able to make a barrier in time. She felt the hand move inside of her. She gasped in pain, but then thought quickly. She grabbed the hand and pumped as much purification energy into it as she could at the moment in her current state. The youkai screamed in agony from being purified, and when he was gone, the hand with him, Kagome went to her knees, not being able to keep herself standing. She was struggling to stay conscience

'_Maybe I should get extra training in defense…'_ she could not help but think dryly while she turned her head to look at her pup

"Shippou?" she managed to say through the pain. She saw him get up from the ground and ran over to her crying. He only had a small scratch on his forehead

'_Thank kami'_ was the last thing she thought before giving in to the darkness

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Sorry for the short chapter today, but I simply do not have the time today, so wanted to get out, what I could get out today. Thank you for the reviews : )**

**Hope you enjoyed and please review : )**

**Love**

**CayaC**


	4. Denial and Mystery

Chapter 4 –

Sesshoumaru –

He was in his study doing paperwork, when he suddenly felt a strong burst of power appearing somewhere close from the outside. He went out on his balcony and smelt the blood from the same direction. He had jumped off his balcony when he had recognized the blood. _Kagome_. He hurried in the direction of the blood. It did not take long. He found them on _their_ hill. The sight that had welcomed him, made him freeze to the spot. A tiger youkai stood with one of his hands impaled through the miko's stomach, the miko, standing only inches from Rin, and from the situation he guessed, the miko had saved his ward. He was about to step in a kill the youkai who had dared to hurt his miko, but before he got the chance, the miko had grabbed the youkai's hand and had sent a massive wave of purification energy through it, purify the entire youkai. He was still standing, observing when she fell to her knees, asking for her pup, and when she had seen he was safe she had collapsed to the ground, and in that second he was by her side

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin stated, crying and was kneeling next to the heavily bleeding miko, the kitsune pup next to her

"Please hel…" before the kitsune got the chance to finish his plead, Sesshoumaru had already grabbed all three of them and went full speed back towards the palace. He was panicking. He had been supposed to protect her! And he had failed… twice!

Inside of the palace he hurried to the healer's wing and started yelling orders left and right to help the miko. When his healers went to work on her, he sent the children to their rooms while he himself went to his study… He needed to calm down… But, instead, the moment he entered his study he went on frenzy. Destroying furniture and walls in the process. He was about to split his desk in two when he felt a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. He turned to see his grandmother looking at him with worried eyes

"What happened?" she asked calm, knowing something _had_ to be wrong, for _him_ to throw a tantrum like this. He told her of what he had known of the situation and of what the kitsune pup and Rin had told him

"3 tiger youkais in one place is definitely very… odd… Not to mention the fact that Kagome is only human, and yet… She managed to take all three down, saving the children… She is really impressive… But there is something that is bothering this old woman…" Lady Sakura said, still calm. Sesshoumaru was still pissed, but he still listened to his elder

'_It was indeed impressive for a human, but it was something I would have expected of her'_ Sesshoumaru sat down on his desk chair, trying to keep his beast at bay… It was ready to destroy anything within the palace grounds

"What" he asked through his teeth, growling

"When her kitsune pup got hurt, she went into frenzy? As far as I know, it is only youkai who do that in those kinds of situations…" Sesshoumaru saw the glint in his grandmother's eye

'_She knows something that I do not'_ but before he would ask her, or order her to explain, he was thinking of what she had said… It was true that humans did not go into frenzy's. He had felt the immense power in the air when she had went into the state of frenzy. Once again, a new mystery unfolded itself involving the miko… again… If he would ever look up mystery, he was beginning to expect a picture of the miko.

"What is your point? She is no youkai. It must have been her miko powers that reacted to her emotional distress… A laps of power in a moment of panic" he stated. It was plausible, and the best explanation he could come up with. He looked at his grandmother and was surprised to see disappointment from her. She shook her head

"Ignorant pup" he could have sworn he had heard her say!

"At least Rin and Shippou are safe, and the girl is fighting for her life" Sesshoumaru just nodded his head, eyeing his grandmother suspiciously, she was definitely hiding something, but it was difficult to concentrate with his beast screaming and growling inside of him. It wanted to do something to save and heal hi… the miko. He could feel how it tried to force itself to the surface, trying to take over the control

"You cannot deny your feelings for the miko Sesshoumaru" he heard his grandmother spout out. He just growled in response. He had come to realize he had strong emotions when it came to the miko. He hated that he had to admit, that a _small_ part of him actually cared for her. Why? He had no earthly idea as to why

"Well? Are you going to do something about it?" Sesshoumaru led out an audible sigh. She was very persistent

"This Sesshoumaru will not lower himself with taking a human mate!" he growled out harshly, feeling his beast anger and growls deep within him, disagreeing with him. He sent her a glare that would have his servant running and screaming if sent their way, but as expected, his grandmother just sent one just as '_nice' _back at him

"And so what if she is human!? She is stronger than any human I have _ever _faced… Heck, she is even stronger than an ordinary miko! She loves Rin and Shippou, as they were her own. From what the kitsune pup has told me, she is very well educated, kind and not the least prejudice, like someone else we know…" she sent a glare in his direction

"… She is loyal, has a strong and pure heart. And even though she tries to hide her emotions, much like someone else we know…" she sent another glare in his direction

"… But she is in fact a being, filled up with raw emotions, that many times makes the decisions for her. What peaked my interest was what happened 6 weeks ago…" she then looked at him, waiting for him to say something. But, when he just kept looking at her, silently telling her to get to the point, she sighed defeated but then smiled mischievously

"Shippou told me that she made a drastic change overnight, one day… 6 weeks ago…." Again, she looked at Sesshoumaru, waiting for him to put some pieces of the puzzle together

"What is your point old woman?" he asked, not wanting to participate in her small games

"This Sesshoumaru has very little patience left" he finished, hoping she would just get her point out and down with. He felt a headache creeping in on him. His grandmother frowned at him

"I know your beast has been reacting to something, and I know _when_ it started…" she narrowed her eyes at him and then left. Just leaving her words hanging in the air… Sesshoumaru thought back to when his beast had first reacted for the first time since… His Aya's disappearance… His eyes widen in realization

'_The miko changed 6 weeks ago. The same time when my beast reacted… Is she a hanyou? No, impossible… What is the old woman insinuating? I know the miko has not been completely truthful with her abilities and powers… But what could be so secretive and powerful enough to make my beast react?'_ Sesshoumaru stood, he had to find out! All these mysteries involving the miko must come to an end!

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

When Kagome woke up, she felt… fine… No pain and completely well rested. Not even those weird dreams; she never seemed to be able to remember. She opened her eyes and saw she was in the healing wing. She suddenly remembered what had happened and she reached for her necklace, and when she felt it she sighed in relief

'_Still intact. That was to close'_ she sat up. She would have to leave. She could not risk her cover being blown anymore. She got out of bed, changed to a, decent enough, kimono and walked out of the healing wing, unseen. She walked quietly towards her pup's room. When she did not see Shippou in his room, she was starting to panic, had she not been able to save him? She hurried towards Rin's room, and sighed in relief when she heard both Rin and Shippou talk inside of the room. She opened the door, again quietly and walked in

"Shippou. Rin" she ran to them and hugged them, not letting go. Her heart finally beginning to slow, now knowing they both was safe.

"Mama! I was so scared…"

"Rin too was scared!" They talked at the same time. Kagome could not help the smile that crept itself out on her lips

"I am so, so sorry. I did not mean for you to worry" she kissed them on their foreheads. Kagome blushed when she heard her stomach make protesting noise. The children started to laugh

"Is it not time for lunch yet? How about we go and get something to eat?" they nodded, smiling in agreement, and together they walked to the dining hall.

When they entered, she noticed that only Lady Sakura was present.

'_Great'_ she snorted mentally, but she knew she had to talk with the old hag. Oh, why did she have to find out! Jeez! Kagome, wearing her emotionless mask bowed

"Lady Sakura" and then they all went to eat something. Kagome sat next to Rin, with Shippou on her other side

"You have recovered fast. I have not even heard you were awake yet" Lady Sakura stated, eyeing Kagome. Kagome suppressed a scowl

'_Nosy old hag… Knowing stuff she should not know, and now she talks about something minor she did not know about?...'_ Kagome put on a small smile

"I am sorry, I needed to see if the children were all right" Kagome explained. Lady Sakura nodded, seemingly accepting her explanation

"Roku" Lady Sakura then said. A male servant then appeared, bowing low

"Yes Milady" the servant answered respectfully

"Make sure to notify Lord Sesshoumaru and the healers that Lady Kagome is awake and is with me" the servant bowed lower, and then left. Kagome straightened up in her seat and cleared her throat

"I was hoping to get an audience with Milady after lunch" Kagome stated, with no emotions portraying in her face or voice. Lady Sakura's eyebrow rose a bit

"Of course Lady Kagome. I am done with my meal. We can go to my study when you are ready" Kagome nodded and started to finish up her lunch

* * *

><p>Lady Sakura's study –<p>

"First, I would like to know how long I have been out" Kagome asked calmly from her chair. She was sitting in front of a nice warm fireplace, with Lady Sakura, sitting on a chair next to her. Lady Sakura looked at her suspiciously, but also knowing.

"Only a day" she answered, looking at Kagome intently. Kagome, tried very hard to hide her surprise

'_Shit! My youkai power must have interfered with my healing process!'_ Kagome just nodded, successfully not letting her mask down

"Then, All I wanted to say was; thank you for your hospitality the last couple of weeks. My son and I have had a wonderful experience, but now I have to return to my duties…" Kagome stood and bowed in respect

"I do hope to see you again one day" and with that she turned on her heels, not waiting for a response, but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder

"And you are not just running away?" she heard Lady Sakura ask, calm and in a wise grandmother-ish way

'_Okay, if she wants to play, then I am on!'_ Kagome looked at her with fake ignorance

"I do not know what you mean by that, but it is my duty as the Shikon priestess to collect the shards and protect them. I have been neglecting that duty long enough" Kagome stated. Lady Sakura starred into Kagome's eyes, both with no emotions showing, even though, Kagome felt really uncomfortable

"It was my impression that Sesshoumaru was joining this quest of yours…" Kagome held down the urge to growl irritated

"It is up to him to decide if he goes with me or not, and since it is not his responsibility, and he have other important stuff to do, then I do not believe he wishes to join until the final battle…"

'_And I do not want him with me!'_Kagome hissed mentally. Okay, that was a lie, but it would have to wait

"We will see…" Lady Sakura said while smirking. Kagome eyed her carefully… She was not going to meddle right? No… The woman was not that bored was she? Kagome grunted, of course the old woman was bored, and now she had a nice time playing with her of all people!

"Why is it that you do not want him to know?" Kagome sighed, she should have seen that one coming, but she still felt her muscles freeze up. She turned slowly, not knowing what she should say… Lady Sakura was looking at her with a sad expression on her face. Kagome then chose to be honest

"I want to, but are not allowed to" that was all she was going to say on that subject. Her cover was already blown when it came to this Lady.

"I see" Lady Sakura said nodding, as if she understood her dilemma. Kagome offered a small smile, and placed a hand gently on Lady Sakura's shoulder

"It is over when Naraku is dead and the jewel safe…" Lady Sakura seemed to light up at that, placing her hand on Kagome's cheek, and smiled brightly

"Then, until then my granddaughter" (pack title) Kagome smiled one of her (becoming) rare smiles, bowed and then left the room. Now was Sesshoumaru's turn.

She walked up to Sesshoumaru's study door and knocked, waiting for the always same _enter_

"Enter" Kagome then entered and closed the door behind her. She went up to stand in front of his desk and bowed

"Lord Sesshoumaru. Thank you for saving my life, yet again" she hated that she still needed saving. She felt like her human weak body was not getting stronger at all

"Why were you having an audience with Lady Sakura?" No, how are you feeling? A thank you for protecting his ward? No, the important matter was apparently what she had been speaking with his grandmother about… Inconsiderate cold jerk! She grumbled in anger mentally

"I wanted to thank her for her kindness and hospitality before I leave, which is why I came to you, Lord Sesshoumaru" one of his eyebrows rose elegantly

"And why are you leaving?" he asked, no emotions portraying in his face or voice

'_Because of you… and me'_ she could not help but think sadly

"I have responsibility that I have neglected to long, and the time has come. I have to find the remaining shards before Naraku gets even more powerful" Kagome sighed

"And every day I do nothing, more people gets hurt or used, and I cannot allow anymore of it" she answered truthfully. She thought of the three tiger youkai who had attacked them. Tiger youkai's never attacked in groups (dominance thing), and the only reason she could come up with, was Naraku and the jewel shards

"We need to talk of another matter before we leave to search for the shards" Kagome coughed surprised

"WE?!" Kagome would have hoped he would have just left her be to do what she wanted. She blushed in embarrassment, when she realized she had 'thought' that out loud

"Yes we. Now, you will explain to this Sesshoumaru what happened out on the hill" Kagome paled a bit, trying to fight the color from disappearing

'_Shoot!'_ Okay, she could do this, she forced her heartbeat down, her breath in control and mask on, and then she did like last time. She held the story as close to the truth as possible

"I was sitting on this hill, watching the children play. I must shamefully admit I was a bit preoccupied. Had I not been, then I would have noticed them sooner… I told the children to hurry to safety within the palace walls, but the youkai's were too fast. I fought one, while the two others, I had not noticed either, went after the children. The youkai's wanted my shards. I fought a bit, and then I heard Rin scream… I… Panicked when I saw them in danger… Something inside of me just clicked… snapped… and my miko powers acted out of control and exploded for a second, purifying the youkai I had fought against. I ran as fast as I could to get to the children in time. When I reached Rin, I would have created a barrier for the children and me… But I was to slow" she faked some sadness, pretending to be on the verge of tears for being so _weak_.

'_Yeah, putting in some human weakness and that should be it…'_

"Though I got to kill the two other youkais with my powers, some kind of energy blow… I did not know I was able to do that! But, I have only recently gotten the rest of my soul back, so maybe that explains my sudden power burst and inability to control them?" she explained, faking ignorance of her own power

'_Please let it be at that… Do not dig any further…'_ Kagome was practically crossing every toe she could, since he would notice her fingers doing it. Kagome was a nervous wreck at the moment inside, again not portraying it. Trying to keep herself in the role of the ignorant damsel in distress. Kagome could have passed out, when she saw Sesshoumaru nodded, seemingly eating her explanation raw

'_Thank Kami!'_ she sighed mentally

"Prepare your belongings and what else you will need for the journey. We leave tomorrow morning" Kagome was about to protest with the _he-coming-with_ part, but the glare from Sesshoumaru shut her up, and she hurried out of the study.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru-<p>

He was still sitting on his desk chair after she had left

'_Just as I thought. Sakura is just trying to plant ideas in my mind'_ he was interrupted with a knock on his study door

"Enter" he replied coolly

'_Speak of the devil_ 'he thought sarcastically, watching his grandmother enter his study

"What do you want Lady Sakura?" he asked as coldly as he could

"Where are you manners you ungrateful… It does not matter, was does matter is if you are going with her or not!" Sesshoumaru looked at is grandmother surprised to see this childish side of her. He looked at her puzzled… She was looking mad… but why?

"This Sesshoumaru has plans regarding the filthy hanyou Naraku, and the miko will most likely meet him on her journey or get a lead, so this Sesshoumaru is going with her" Lady Sakura was looking at him suspiciously and with a mischievous smile on her lips

"And that is the only reason you are going?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her

"Yes!"

'_No!'_ He did not want to talk about it! Nosy crow!

"What did she have to say regarding the episode outside?" Sesshoumaru took the scroll he had been reading before the miko had entered, with the intention of reading it

"Panic. Her powers reacted to her emotional panic. As I believed it to be" he stated. Lady Sakura simply nodded and was about to leave his study

"What? No more ridicules theories of the miko's origin?" he asked teasingly. Lady Sakura turned and looked at him for a while

"Just get that Naraku fellow killed all right?" and with that she left

'_Why is it she always ends up with the last word!?'_ And why all of the sudden did she care about Naraku? She had never said anything before on the matter and had always stayed out of it. She had, strangely, just accepted Kagome's explanation, even though she had been persistent in making him believe there was more to the miko. He had even noticed that his grandmother and Kagome were acting abnormal towards each other and now, they had just had a meeting.

'_Hmm… Interesting… Seems there could be more to the miko after all…'_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**I am so, so sorry the late update. I was very sick yesterday, so did not get a chapter out : ( BUT, finally wrote and edited this chapter so hope you enjoy! **

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews : ) **

**I was asked that now when Kagome had two names, which one I would be calling her in the story, I will get to that in the later chapters, but she will be called Kagome for several reasons. For one, she is no longer the Aya she used to be. Many years have passed, and with her new identity, life and because she has gotten used to it, she prefers to be called Kagome, but of course her true parents will be calling her by her birth name, and not the name given to her in the other time. Hope that was an okay answer : )**

**Have a nice day people!**

**Please review**

**Love**

**CayaC**


	5. A special someone

Chapter 5 –

Sesshoumaru –

The day after –

At daylight, Sesshoumaru and Kagome went out on their journey for shards. They had agreed that both children should be staying back at the palace for safety reasons. They had travelled for hours in complete silence before they made a stop for the day. He watched as the miko arranged to up a fire, and when she was done, she sat down, close to the heat and stared into the flames. She seemed to be in deep thought…. He was starting to miss her voice

"Can I ask you a personal question Lord Sesshoumaru?" he was a little taken back by the sudden question after a long while with no talk, but he could not see a problem with her asking a question. He could just decide not to answer. Sesshoumaru nodded and waited for her to speak. She did not take her eyes off, of the flames when she spoke

"Do you have someone special in your life besides Rin?" the question had caught him of guard, he had not expected her to ask such a question, but fortunately he still had his mask on intact, but he could not help the distant look in his eyes when he answered her

"This Sesshoumaru once had a treasured friend, but no longer" she nodded at his response

"Why?" He asked. Why had she of all people asked him that? Why did she care? She turned her head upward and smiled a small sad smile at him

"Because everyone needs a special person in their life. If it is a silent person with whom you can enjoy the silence with, one you can confine with, or… love… It is up to oneself to figure out what kind of special person you need in your life… and might get…" he watched as she looked down, trying to cover the blush that covered her cheeks so nicely. He could not help the small smile that tugged his lips. He enjoyed their rare talks… It was nice…

'_I cannot believe I just admitted that I like to talk with the miko'_ but her question still puzzled him, and the reason why she had asked in the first place… It had come out of nowhere

"Do you have a… special person?" he asked, not really sure as to why he had asked her, but he wanted to know… hear her answer. She was not even taken back by the question; she just continued to look into the flames

"Once" came her short, and a bit cryptic answer

"What happened?" he wanted to know more of this miko, so he could finally solve the mystery that was the miko

"Something unexpected…" it seemed to be all that she wanted to say at that topic

"You?" he heard her ask. Well, he had asked her first, so he supposed he could answer her to

"Disappeared" that was when she looked at him with sadness in her eyes he had not seen before, at least not in her. He could not help but stare into her eyes… Into those eyes that reminded him so much of _her_. Hell, when he compared the two, they were a lot more alike than he would care to admit. Same hair color, same eye color… They are both creatures of love and kindness… Even their laughs seemed to be exactly alike… He felt a terrible feeling in his body. It still hurt thinking about her, but even though the miko reminded him of his Aya, it no longer hurt as much as it once did. It was like the miko was starting to fill the hole that Aya's disappearance had created

"I will get some rest" he heard the miko say, getting him out of his stream of thoughts. He watched her as she laid down next to the fire, her back to him

"Goodnight Sesshoumaru" she said in a whisper, forgetting to use the honorific. He shook his head a little amused.

"Goodnight Kagome"

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

'_Why did I have to ask!'_ she screamed at herself mentally

'_You wanted to know if he cared for us'_ a voice back in her head answered. It had been so hard to leave him, not even being given the chance to say goodbye. She shed a tear at the memory

'_I loved him'_ she silently admitted to herself

'_You still do'_ the voice said. She knew she did, but he had changed so much. Now and then she saw the old Sesshoumaru she knew, but it was rare. She missed their friendship… Their talks… Their shared laughs and smiles… It tore in her, but she knew she could only tell him when they had defeated Naraku. But now… She was afraid of how he would react to the truth… She could not imagine this Sesshoumaru just brushing it off, and then start where they had left off… No she had a really hard time imagining that… Would he forgive her? That was her last thought before she gave into the darkness of sleep.

_Dream state –_

_Darkness. It was all she could see. She could not even see herself. She looked desperately for a light. She had always feared the darkness. Always, and still. Once, when she had been younger, a kid looking like an 8 year old girl, she had been kidnapped and held hostage in the dark for weeks. And creepy things had lured in that darkness. Since then, she had always had some kind of light at her side when she would sleep. Kagome tried to run but found she could not move. She was frozen to the spot. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. The only thing she could feel were her tears, running down her cheeks, and still, she could see nothing but darkness_

'_Where am I?' she was starting to panic. She did not like this place_

'_Kagome…' she heard someone say her name, but she was not sure who it was_

'_Kagome!' the voice were clearer this time and she recognized the voice immediately_

'_Sesshoumaru?' a light sparked forth and she closed her eyes from the sharp light_

_Dream state end –_

She opened her eyes and gasped for much needed air, which she did not even know she had needed. She felt herself being wet from sweat

'_Gross…'_ she looked up to see a worried Sesshoumaru… wait… a _worried_ Sesshoumaru? What was wrong with that picture?... Oh yeah… At the moment she was miko Kagome, and not youkai Aya… But what happened next were more instincts than her brains action, which seemed to be out of function at the moment, because if it had worked properly then she would know what she was doing was… wrong… She had pushed herself up and into Sesshoumaru's chest, had hugged him and then broken down, her tears ruining his haori. All her suppressed emotions mixed with her fear from her dream came crashing down at her at that moment. She had felt him stiffen in her embrace, but he slowly seemed to relax. She could feel him hugging her back, comforting her as best as he knew how in a situation such as this. That he was comforting her at all, spoke volumes! When she could shed no more tears, she blushed hard and pulled herself out from him

"Thank you" she whispered, looking down at the ground, to embarrassed to look him in the eyes. She heard no reply, but he was polite enough not to comment on her little breakdown

"Nightmare?" he asked low, and Kagome nodded

"The worst" she answered, still not being able to look at him. Before any of them could say anything more, Kagome felt a small power not to long from their position. Why had she not sensed it before? She went up to her feet fast, and collected her bow and arrows

"Jewel shard northwest, not to long from here" Sesshoumaru stood quickly, and together they ran towards the shard she had sensed.

They got to a clearing where a crow youkai, much bigger than normal, and the one that resulted in her breaking the jewel, was feasting on a dead cow. Kagome notched her arrow and aimed

"It has 2. The other is so small that the other shard shaded it. It has one on the left wing and the small one is in its lower spine" Sesshoumaru nodded and unsheathed his Tokijin. Kagome aimed for the left wing

"Hit the mark" she whispered while letting go of the purification infused arrow, and in that same moment Sesshoumaru had attacked. They both got a clean hit. Kagome ran over to the carcass of the youkai, retrieving the 2 shards, purifying them on touch. She had come up with the idea of hiding the shards in her body so the enemy would have to absorb her to get to the shards. She infused the shards into her body, and when she was done, they went back towards camp

"There must be only 1 or 2 left besides Kohaku's and Koga's shards… Inu-Yasha's group might have found some, even though it is highly unlikely" Sesshoumaru just nodded in response…

"There must be a way to know if there are more shards out there…" she stated quietly to herself, thinking deep

"Try to sense them in the same way you sense auras" she heard the monotone answer from the male beside her

'_Why did I not think of that!?'_ she hissed at herself mentally, she had never tried it like that with the shards. She nodded, sat down and crossed her legs. She placed her hands, so they formed an 'O' again, and concentrated first on her breathing, and then on her power to search for the shards presence. She searched and searched. Sweat drops travelled down her forehead… man… it was harder than she had expected it to be

'_Just a little notch…'_ determined she used more power, and tried to concentrate harder

'_Wow!'_ it had done the trick, and the outcome had been… awesome! It was like seeing an unclear dark map of Japan with pink dots on it, some dots bigger than others. 4 dots in total. Kohaku, Koga, her and… Kagome could not help the wicked smile that formed on her lips

"Can you sense them miko?" she heard Sesshoumaru ask, and you could clearly hear the impatiens in his voice. She opened her eyes and looked at him with fire in her eyes

"Even better. I can find Naraku" first he looked surprised, but it was quickly replaced with determination

"Where?" he asked hard, making it sound like an order

"Not yet. We _need_ allies. We _need_ my friends. They have the right to fight in the final battle to. There are no more shards to be collected at the moment, so first we need to find my friends, then Kohaku and Koga before we think of tracking the filth down. If I know him right, then he has moved his position again tomorrow" she tried to reason with him. He was thinking, but fortunately he nodded in agreement

"We will travel to Edo tomorrow. There are still a couple of hours before the sun rises, so get some sleep" he stated. Kagome shook her head

"No need. Let us just go now" the faster they killed Naraku, the quicker she could tell Sesshoumaru the truth about her. He looked at her, seemingly about to protest because of her weak _human_ body

"I really cannot sleep at the moment even if I tried, so instead of wasting hours, we should travel as far as we can" he then nodded and they started their walk towards Edo.

* * *

><p>The village of Edo –<p>

When they were near the village Kagome stopped in her tracks. She did not want to go down there. At least not yet… She would have to have an awkward talk with Inu-Yasha, and she did not look forward to it… Who could blame her? The last time they saw each other he had sliced through her with his giant sword, even though he was possessed, or something in that manner.

"Kagome?" she heard one call her adopted name like a beautiful song. She blushed when she realized _who_ had called out to her. The butterflies in her stomach were flying like crazy in her stomach region. She turned to look at the one who had called her and gave him a big genuine smile

"It is all right… It is just… A lot have happened since the last time we saw each other… I am just a little nervous, that is all… "He stepped in front of her and touched her hair gently

"I will protect you" he said low, and his long pale finger touched her cheek, which only made Kagome blush even harder, and she were sure her heart were about to burst out of her chest from beating too hard and fast

"Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru" she whispered. He took a step back and they went towards Kaede's hut

"Demon! Run!" they heard around them, when the villagers had spotted the Inu youkai Lord. They were panicking and ran in the direction of Kaede's hut, wanting a miko to stop the, Oh so terrible youkai. Kagome suppressed the urge to roll her eyes

"He is with me" Kagome tried to tell them through the panicked screams and yells, but it seemed their fear were too great to listen to reason. Not long after she was greeted by Kaede

"Ye are alive child! My prayers have been answered!" Kaede exclaimed at the sight of Kagome. Kagome hugged the old woman

"Yes. Lord Sesshoumaru saved me and has been taking good care of me and Shippou" she explained. Kaede looked at Sesshoumaru with no ounce of fear in her gaze, and then she bowed low

"It is a great honor to meet the Lord of the Western Lands" Sesshoumaru seemed surprised by the display of respect, and he just nodded in response

"Come child, and tell me what has happened" Kagome nodded and they went to Kaede's hut, where Kagome told her everything that had happened since she left with Sesshoumaru (Of course, her identity still a secret) Kaede was quiet in a long time after Kagome had finished, telling the story

"Inu-Yasha has been missing since ye left. Sango and Miroku has been searching for the both of ye since" Kagome nodded, it would seem he had not broken from whatever trance he was trapped in

"But I expect them back tomorrow or the day after" Kaede stated. Again, Kagome just nodded. She looked outside, it was getting dark

"I will wait here for them till they are back, but now I am going for walk to clear my head" she stated and rose from her spot. She walked out, sensing Sesshoumaru right behind her.

She walked a bit away from the village and sat on the ground, leaning up against a tree. She looked around, taking in the beautiful scenery. When she looked to her right, she was surprised to see Sesshoumaru sitting next to her. They were sitting there in complete silence. She wanted to say something but did not know what to say… She might have to tell and warn him before the final battle, of who she was. She would have to tell him something if not the entire truth. Just in case one of them did not make it out alive

"You seem troubled miko" Sesshoumaru stated. Kagome sighed… Back to the miko thing are we? Feh!

"Just thinking of the final battle" she answered a little surprised by him talking, first… voluntarily… to her… She felt his gaze at her

"Do not waste your time on such matters yet" he again stated in the same tone of his voice. Kagome could not help but frown

"You can say it is a waste of time, but there are things to consider" Kagome could have kicked herself… She could just have nodded, or something else… now she would have to come up with something that did not portray what were really on her mind

'_Crap! Why can't I just shut up?'_

"Which… things?" he asked, clearly curious. Kagome looked at him, and she felt like melting in his gaze. He was so handsome. He was a mix between an angel in beauty and an elf (with the ears, and other elf like features) without thinking… again… she placed a hand on his cheek

"You will know soon enough" she answered with a small smile. She removed her hand and turned to look out into the distance again. She felt his gaze resting on her, but she could not look back at him, in fear that he might figure her secret out if he looked into her eyes. It was hard for her to be so close to him. She were about to stand when she was stopped by a hand

"You are keeping something from this Sesshoumaru" Kagome sat down again with her front towards Sesshoumaru, since he did not seem like he would let her go until she had answered

"It is true, but it is something I cannot tell you as of yet…" she looked at him kindly

"I will tell you everything after the final battle. I give you my word" she ended. Not wanting to talk of the matter any further than that. He did not look pleased, but he nodded in agreement anyway

"Thank you very much for your help so far Sesshoumaru" she said a bit embarrassed. She did not expect him to say anything, which he didn't, but she had not been prepared for the warmth in his eyes he showed her. She smiled at him and sighed. She then took a chance and leaned up against his shoulder. When he did nothing to move her, or indicating that he was annoyed she relaxed. They sat there in silence before Kagome gave in to sleep.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru –<p>

He was not pleased with the idea of her hiding something from him, but she had given her word to tell her secret after they had defeated Naraku. He led his moko-moko-sama wrap itself around the sleeping miko to give her warmth in the cold weather. He looked at her with mixed feelings. He had come to realize during their journey that he, the Great Lord of the Western Lands had fallen in love with this human, and he hated himself for it, but there were no point in denying it anymore and he felt he had to tell her before the final battle. He did not want her to fight, but he also knew she would not stay away at any cost either, and she seemed so desperate to get it over with. He wondered what her secret could be. Would it be the answer to the mystery that involved the miko… no… Kagome. He wondered if there was any truth to his grandmother's theories, that Kagome were more than just a human

'_She will tell me. She gave her word to me'_ he told himself

'_But what if she dies in the battle?'_ his beast asked, not wanting Kagome to participate in the battle either

'_She will not! I have promised her protection!'_ he growled out at his beast. His beast said nothing more. He looked at Kagome again while she slept peacefully beside him, her head still leaning up against his shoulder. He were about to look at the night sky when he saw her frown and small sweat drops appeared on her forehead and just above her upper lip. She whimpered and started to shift in her position, her breathing seemed to be troubled

"No" she whispered in pain and her movements became more erratic, like she was starting to panic. Sesshoumaru moved his moko-moko-sama so she rested on his lap, her head leaning against his chest, and immediately she stopped her movements and started sleeping peacefully again. He rested his chin on top of her head, and soon after he was sleeping to.

* * *

><p>She was still sleeping when he woke up some hours later. He sniffed the air and could smell the demon slayer and houshi nearby. He gently nuzzled Kagome, trying to wake her up<p>

"Kagome" he whispered, but she did not react. He smiled and cupped her cheek with his hand

"Kagome" he said a little louder this time

"5 more minutes Souta" she grumbled and buried her head deeper into his haori and moko-moko-sama. He laughed lightly and _that_ was apparently the trick to wake his little miko up. She opened her eyes and when she understood _where_ she was currently placed, she blushed deep

"Good morning Sesshoumaru" she whispered, her blush not going away. He brushed a hair strand behind her ear

"Good morning Kagome" she locked eyes with him and they were to wrapped up in each other that they did not notice the two humans who were standing close and watching them. Well, that was until one of them coughed to announce their presence. Sesshoumaru broke the moment by turning his gaze to the two humans, who were standing with surprised grins on their faces. Kagome were up in two mere seconds and went to embrace her friends. Sesshoumaru had an urge to growl in irritation of losing the moment with his Kagome, but dismissed the thought and just observed the humans

"Oh Kagome I am so happy to see that you are okay" the demon slayer said while hugging Kagome desperately

"Indeed, when we found blood, a pile of ash and an unconscious Inu-Yasha we were afraid of what had happened" the houshi stated. Kagome sat down and gestured for her friends to do the same, and then she told the story of what had happened since that day.

"I knew we could not trust that dead clay pot of a backstabbing priestess" he heard the demon slayer spout out in anger. Sesshoumaru grunted in agreement.

"But what of Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked. He was pleased to hear that she did not seem overly concerned with the half-breed. The houshi got a sadden look on his face

"After he woke up he just took off with no explanation. We have been searching for him for weeks but with no luck" he answered. Kagome nodded and then looked like one in deep thoughts

"Can we presume that he is still under Naraku's influence?" she asked. Her two human friends seemed to contemplate it for only some few minutes before they both nodded

"Yes, he did not seem like himself when he woke up" the demon slayer added. Kagome nodded

"The reason Lord Sesshoumaru and I are here, is to ask you to assist us in the final battle when we have collected the remaining shards from Koga and Kohaku" the last part he had noticed Kagome had a pained look on her face. Why? Was it because of this Koga and the Kohaku kid? But it had not been only Kagome that seem sadden by one of the names, so did her two human friends.

"I thought we could split up collecting them and then meet up here again when it is done. They are the last shards remaining" he heard Kagome offer. He smirked. He liked that plan. Her human friends just nodded, they still seemed a bit sad, mostly the demon slayer. It could be why the houshi chose to talk on both their behalf

"We would go after Kohaku if we knew where to look…" he stated and looked a little concerned at the demon slayer. So… The demon slayer and the kid Kohaku must be related, Sesshoumaru decided. He watched as Kagome closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out. This were repeated a couple of times

"He is about 2 days travel, southeast from here… Will that help?" Kagome asked. The demon slayer and the houshi looked at her surprised

"But how do you know that Lady Kagome?" the houshi asked awed. Kagome smiled and looked at Sesshoumaru while answering. She had a mischievous glint in her eye, which made him wonder what was on her mind

"I have been training my powers and I can sense and find every shard out there… Including Naraku's" when she mentioned Naraku she had turned to look at her friends again with a smirk. He saw her two human friends smile venomously

"Then we will travel fast and meet up here again. Good luck Lady Kagome. Lord Sesshoumaru" the demon slayer hugged Kagome and the houshi bowed to him. Then they ran off. Sesshoumaru stood

"And this Koga?" he asked, slightly hoping she would explain who he was

"Around a day's travel to the northern lands" she answered in a whisper

"Is something the matter Kagome?" who was this Koga that made her this nervous? She turned to face him

"I am just concerned about Inu-Yasha. Just because he under the influence of Naraku… He is still my friend…" Sesshoumaru just nodded. He was not jealous of his half-breed half-brother; he knew they were just friends, nothing more, nothing less, even though he could not understand why after all the things she had, had to put up with. He watched as she grabbed her gear, and then they started to walk towards the northern lands to hunt down this Koga for his shards.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Sorry, I am still a bit sick, but I finally wrote this chapter, so I hope I am forgiven for now ; ) **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please do review! : )**

**Love**

**CayaC**


	6. A thickheaded Wolf vs A possessive Inu

Chapter 6 -

Kagome –

'_Fuck! Why… Oh why did he have to be in the northern lands?'_ Koga's tribe resided in the northern mountains so it was not so surprising, and she had travelled in the northern lands before, but that had been before she had remembered… _everything_. Her family ruled the northern lands for crying out loud! She looked at Sesshoumaru shortly and then blushed

'_How did I get up on his lap while sleeping? Did I do that or…'_ She had momentarily freaked out until she had looked into his eyes and time had seemed to just stop. He had looked at her the same way he had always looked at her as Aya. She was happy that he seemed to care for her, but it also frustrated her to no end. And not only that… she had actually lied to him…again… Yes, she had been worried for Inu-Yasha, but she had actually been thinking of Sesshoumaru, and what should she have done? Told him the truth? Fat chance… It had definitely not been the time or place to do so. But… She had felt a change in Sesshoumaru… And that just added more to her guilt of withholding the truth, especially when he looked at her like _that_, with caring eyes…

"What are you planning when your journey comes to an end?" she almost fell over her own legs from surprise when he spoke

'_Is he… the silent Sesshoumaru actually trying to start up a conversation with me?'_ it was one of the changes she had first seen in him. Out of nowhere he would start up conversation, reminding her again of their times together long ago, and he did not realize it actually made it harder on her. It was easier to deal with the cold, non-talkative Sesshoumaru, because then she could focus on what were ahead, like the important final battle… She thought about his question… What to answer… She could not possibly tell him the truth yet, but she did not want to lie either… she had done plenty of that, and her insides felt like it would twist and turn if she were going to tell him another one

"I will tell you after the battle" she said a bit dismissively, hoping he would just drop the subject. He only nodded and Kagome could not help but sighing mentally. When she had only known herself as Kagome from the future, she had thought that she would have been sent back, to what she had believed to be her true home, but when she had learned the truth, she had said goodbye to her foster family and sealed the well. Wouldn't want Inu-Yasha to jump in and discover the truth, especially now when he could still be under Naraku's influence.

She smiled a bit thinking that it wouldn't be to long now before she got to see her mother and father again… She just hoped that she could keep Sesshoumaru by her side… As a friend… Or hopefully more… Though she was not sure if that was even possible… She had no idea of how he viewed her as a person… As the person Kagome… Or how he would react when he learned the truth… Would he be happy? Or deadly pissed? Would he forgive her from just disappearing and not leave any kind of message to console him? She had no idea… She had felt pride of the fact that she as Aya had known more of Sesshoumaru than any other, but she had to admit, regretfully, that she had a hard time deciphering this Sesshoumaru… Once, she knew how he would react to certain things, but now… She was almost afraid to even guess, so she wouldn't be disappointed if the reaction had been the opposite of what she had expected… Kagome sighed again… Would he forgive her?

They had travelled the whole day and night because Kagome just wanted this over with. She could not take much more any longer being alone around him, and to Kagome's great relief they found Koga easily

"Koga!" Kagome yelled and waved her hand to get his attention, since he was apparently busy ordering his pack around. Before she knew it he was in front of her with her hands in his

"Kagome! Have you finally come to be my woman?" Kagome cheeks turned a small tint of red, which others might have seen as embarrassment, but no… it was from irritation… they had already been down that road so many times… How thickheaded can a wolf youkai be? And she had thought Inu-Yasha had been bad… When she started to hear a small growl behind her, which only seemed to increase in length and volume the longer Koga held onto her hands, she could not help but look back at Sesshoumaru… He seemed… angry… he was glaring at Koga with a glare she had not even seen him give Inu-Yasha. She turned her head to look back at Koga… He was glaring back! If she did not do something, this could turn into a worse spectacle than what she was used to when Inu-Yasha and Koga fought… Kagome put up a smile and gently tried to get her hands free… for one it was uncomfortable… and two… to save the stupid wolf youkai before he was beaten to a bleeding pulp

"And here I thought that you already had your mating ceremony planned with Ayame… Or that was what she told me the last time we met…" Kagome said with a fake smile on her lips… She hated confrontations, but if he kept it going, then she would have to 'grow some balls' so to speak and sit him straight once and for all. Koga took her hands again, holding them tighter

"You know you are the only one for me my beautiful fairy" he said with a half-smile, half-smirk on his lips, and he sent a glare behind her while kissing her hand. Okay… Now she was actually blushing! But only because she was bad at taking compliments… Even before she got to tell him off and explain the real reason for their visit, she felt herself being pulled back and silver hair moved into her line of sight, blocking out Koga. Kagome paled

'_Oh oh'_ Sesshoumaru was growling franticly now and Koga growled back in response… Kagome ran in front of them with her hands up, telling them with her body language that they should stop

"Stop this you two. There is no reason to…" She looked from Koga and then at Sesshoumaru… Which stopped her line of speech… He had red eyes… His beast had surfaced! Okay, now Kagome felt panic rise inside of her… along with confusion… he was being a bit… possessive? The Great Lord Sesshoumaru was being possessive of her… Inu-Yasha's former wench, shard-detector and weak human miko… But because of the sudden state of shock she did not get to react when Koga pushed her behind him

'_Fuck'_ was the only thing she got to think, and then they started the fight. Koga with a grin on his lips, started to run fast in circles around Sesshoumaru, and it was difficult to see Koga with his incredible speed, but Sesshoumaru created his poison whip and in a swing of his wrist over his head, he sent it flying gliding close to the ground, catching the legs of the running wolf. Sesshoumaru pulled in his poison whip, making Koga fly in the air toward Sesshoumaru. When Koga came into reaching distance of Sesshoumaru, he backhanded Koga. Kagome had to duck when Koga had been sent flying her way from the blow, and she had to sidestep when a flash of white ran after the flying wolf. She saw how Koga was bleeding heavy from the blow and from the poison whip that had been wrapped around his legs, before he had been sent flying

Kagome was hopping up and down, looking to the sides, hoping to see anything, or come up with anything that could stop this ridiculous fight! Oh, where could she find an enchanted bead necklace when you needed one? Of course, she would have to put it on Koga… She could not see herself go unpunished if she ever tried to pull that trick on Sesshoumaru…

'_Come on… Think of something… What would make those two shift their attention enough to stop the fight… hmm…'_ But should she even intervene? Or would it just backfire? Decisions, decisions…

Koga finally got up, but he could not run that fast anymore due to his injury. Kagome knew she would have to stop the fight now if Koga were to survive this… almost one-sided fight (Since Koga had a really hard time to fight against Sesshoumaru's strength) Kagome tried to concentrate on finding a solution when she thought of something

'_Ah… that might just do since they are so wrapped up in each other that they wouldn't even have noticed'_ she watched as Sesshoumaru threw one punch after another at Koga, and Koga got a kick in at Sesshoumaru from time to time. She went a bit closer and then with all her might and with her best acting skill she screamed in despair

"Naraku!" THAT got their attention and they stopped fighting, freezing to the spot, looking around for the enemy, and it had been just enough time for her to knock out Koga hard… Very hard, on the neck to make him unconscious, having to put just a little of her youkai powers in the blow. She had not needed that much since he was already very much beaten up, but she had used such a low use of it that it would go unnoticed by the two

"I am so, so sorry… But we do not have the time for this…" she whispered into Koga's ear. She turned to look at Sesshoumaru who finally seemed to be back to his normal self

'_Thank god… I would have hated it, if I had to deal with his beast to'_ she sighed in relief and took out the shards from Koga's injured legs. She whistled at Koga's pack, who then came and picked him up. She bowed and apologized

"I am sorry, but please let Koga know that I took my shards back" they thankfully just nodded in response and carried the unconscious Koga away. Kagome walked up to Sesshoumaru, hoping he was not to mad at her for butting in. He said nothing. He did not even look at her, and so they began the journey back to Edo in complete silence.

* * *

><p>Edo –<p>

It had taken Sango and Miroku 2 days to return from their destination. When they had arrived they had been quiet and had gone directly into the hut to sleep. They would be going after Naraku the next day and Kagome had already confirmed with her shard search that he was close

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I would like to talk to you for a moment" Kagome said nervously. Sesshoumaru only nodded in response, but you could see the curiosity when his eyebrow rose ever so elegantly. He followed her to the Goshinboku, where she sat down next to it and gestured for him to do the same, which he did

"You know that I have a secret… A secret which I cannot tell you… yet… "She started and turned to look at Sesshoumaru. Again, he just nodded

"I cannot tell you yet as you know… But we are going to fight against Naraku tomorrow, and when… If we win, then I can" she continued nervous. She was so nervous that she was actually trembling! She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, but also to try and find the right words, without revealing too much

"I want you to know that I am sorry, and I did not want this to happen. It is all that I can say on the matter for now… But you will understand… after…" she did not have to say the last part, he already knew. She mustered up some courage and cupped his face with her tiny hands and looked him deep in his beautiful golden eyes, which seemed to warm up day by day

"And I want to give you something in gratitude of what you have done for me… If you will allow it…" she asked. She was getting more nervous by the seconds, and she could feel how her cheeks became warmer and warmer. He too, looked her deep in her eyes

"You may" it had almost come out as a whisper. There had been no coldness in his voice

'_I can't believe I am doing this'_ but before she would change her mind and chicken out, she manned up, stood on her toes and gave him a light and gentle kiss on his lips. She felt him stiffen, but it disappeared quickly, to only feel him embrace her tight and return the kiss hungrily. She had not expected it, but she was happy that he had. When his hands started to travel up and down her body she could not help the moan that escaped her mouth. He took advantage of it and slid his tongue inside of her mouth, tasting every corner and deepened the kiss. Kagome felt like she was in heaven! The silky touch of his lips to the warmth from his body made her body do strange things. It was like she had butterflies that were having a party with fireworks in her stomach. She did not want it to end, but they had to pull away from each other to get some much needed air. Kagome's face turned to four shades of red and quickly said goodnight before running back to Kaede's hut to sleep. She was too embarrassed to look back at him. If she had, then she would have seen the self satisfied smile on her inu's lips.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Another chapter out! Had to work a little extra on this chapter with the Koga/Sesshoumaru bit to not disappoint you ; )… **

**And I would like to apologize to all of my readers who find it difficult to read my stories because of my grammar… or lack thereof… I am from Denmark and it is the first time I am writing this much on English, and I know since I chose to write it on English that I should pay more attention to the grammar… sorry… I thought I did, but I know it is not enough… I will get to it when I have a friend who is sharper at English grammar than me… **

**But I would also like to point out that we all write differently in our story telling, so if you expect to read the same writing style (like describing **_**every**_** single detail like smell, color, sounds and feelings) then it can become a bother to the reader because of too much information, which can make it totally boring to read in the end, but that is just my personal opinion… I like variety in the way people write their stories, you cannot expect people to write in the same style, if everyone did that, then there wouldn't be failures, some good ones and those who are really great, because there would only be the same kind of books with the same style in all of them… how boring if you ask me… So do not tell me to copy of some other writers way to tell a story, please! **

**Critic is good, I am not bitching about it… though the critic I just got from 'Kagome's path' kind of made me a bit sad… This is practice to when I start writing on my real book on the Danish language. I recognize that there are people out there who will not enjoy my stories, and that is fair enough, everyone is entitled to their personal taste and opinions, but if you don't like my style, then don't read it… simple as that… **

**To those of you who do not have a problem with my style and storytelling/ subject, thank you so much for reading my stories : ) Your positive feedback makes me want to write more and work harder for you guys… **

**Hope you enjoyed and please review… Even if it is critic… That is how one grows and might become better… Again I am sorry about my poor grammar errors… The spelling I can definitely work on and I will when I get the time… So please be patient… **

**Love**

**CayaC**

**(P.S. to you who have read Kagome's path and criticized it ****If I had made Kagome an elemental youkai from the beginning, then that would just have fucked my poems up, and those were hard to make and where important in the story! I love writing fantasy, but when it comes to poems… Argh! And if I had removed the entire elemental youkai bit, then it would just have fucked up the entire story… And… I disagree when you say Sesshoumaru and Inu-no-Tashio is basically the same in the story, there are similarities… but come on… They are father and son… There are bound to be some similarities... The apple does not fall far from the tree… Ever heard of that? I get you did not like it… Fair enough… Then stop reading it… No one is forcing you… But thanks anyway… It gave me something to think about)**


	7. Mystery and Secret of Kagome revealed!

Chapter 7 –

Kagome –

Kagome woke up before the others in the hut. She had been given her yellow backpack back the day before by Sango, and now she was digging through it to get a change of clothes. She duck up a pair of black, tight pants, a red tight t-shirt, decorated with small black flowers, and last a black jacket to keep her warm, and to complete the look. She strapped on her bow and arrows and then went out. She would have loved to use her sword in the battle, but it was in her home in the Northern palace. She turned her head when her eye caught a movement in the corner of her eye, and she barely caught the thing that came flying at her. Damn human weak body… She hated the late reaction and reflex time her body was restricted to. She looked to see what the flying object had been and noticed a sword

"It would be a shame not to use a sword, when you already know how to use it" she heard the familiar monotone voice say. She turned to see Sesshoumaru coming closer. She turned her head back again; not wanting for him to see her blush deepen with each step he came closer. Kagome took the sword and looked to see the quality, except her senses were more alert of the inu that came closer

"Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru" she whispered and gave him a small smile, which disappeared quickly again when she saw annoyance in his eyes, but it quickly vanished again

"You are up early" he stated, still looking at her. She felt her cheeks become warmer, and she almost felt like a prey about to be devoured

"Nerves" she just answered. It had not been a complete lie. The final battle and its outcome made her nervous. The thought of when he got to know the truth, she got nervous. Her nerves had a hard time at the moment, but she was also thrilled with the idea of turning back to her _real_ self. She had been trapped in this weak body for too long. Kagome turned her attention towards the hut when she heard noises from the inside. It would seem they were starting to wake up and preparing for the battle. Kagome sat down on the ground, closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She searched for the last shards, meaning the shards which Naraku had. She opened her eyes startled. He was much closer than she had thought him to be. Really close, as if he was expecting them. Kagome heard her friends sit next to her, so she opened her eyes and turned her focus to her friends

"I know where he is, but it would seem we need to be extra careful. He is too close to us for it to be a coincidence" she told them. She felt a hand, gently being placed on her shoulder

"Maybe it would be wise to make a plan before diving into danger?" Miroku asked, Kagome saw Sango nod in agreement

"Then I have an idea…" Sango started and then they sat close together, and she started to explain her plan.

* * *

><p>2 hours later –<p>

Some miles away from Edo –

Kagome and Sesshoumaru watched from atop of a tree, concealed by the trees branches and leaf. Sango and Miroku were sitting on a hill, playing their part. Kagome had lent them some shards as bait. She concentrated, so she would know the moment Naraku appeared.

They must have waited for a good 15 minutes, because she finally felt a big chunk of shards coming closer. Kagome folded her hands up to her mouth and gave out a bird cry to alert her to human friends. In a mere moment, Naraku had appeared on the hill, not too far away from Miroku and Sango

"Kukuku… Well, if it isn't Sango and the monk. I see you have jewel shards. Why don't you just be nice little pets and hand them over to me" he asked venomously and with a sick sadistic smile on his lips. Sango and Miroku got up from their position, weapons drawn. Naraku only with his smiling

"Kukuku… You do not think that you have a chance against me now, do you?" Naraku sent out some of his tentacles in the direction of Kagome's friends. The moment the tentacles were close to her friends, they dissolved into dust and a pink barrier became visible. Naraku hissed in irritation and looked around, searching for the owner of the barrier. Kagome and Sesshoumaru got out from their hiding spot, Sesshoumaru to Naraku's left and Kagome to his right.

Naraku only showed his surprise in a second before it was replaced by a scowl, but he did not get to react in time because he suddenly was attacked from 4 different sides, Sango with her boomerang, Miroku with his seals and staff, Kagome with her sword infused with purification energy and Sesshoumaru with his Tokijin.

Naraku's counterattack filled the clearing with his deadly miasma, with tentacles hidden in the purple poisons mist. It took them all by surprise since they could not see all of the hidden tentacles that suddenly were sent flying from every side of Naraku.

Kagome, with a body tight barrier around herself, so as to not get affected by the miasma, were fighting with her sword, slashing left and right and in a swing, she send of a blast of energy, purifying enough tentacles and miasma to clear a path for her friends. When she was sure Sango and Miroku could hold their own again from the surprise, she turned to look for Sesshoumaru, which only made her freeze to the spot. Sesshoumaru were on his knees with a tentacle through his stomach and one through his leg, making him immobile. At first the sight made her numb, but that was only until her beast inside of her took control and screamed

"No! Sesshy!" her eyes became red and in a heartbeat she was in front of Sesshoumaru with her hands held high in a defensive manner, and a pink barrier was created around the two of them. She had made the barrier just in time, when more tentacles banged into her barrier, only to become purified. Kagome was lost in her anger and her beast was focused on Naraku

"Kagome" she heard Sesshoumaru whisper in pain, but all of her attention at the moment was on the smiling Naraku

"How dare you hurt my Sesshoumaru?!" Kagome's beast growled loud. Naraku just laughed and kept sending tentacle after tentacle after her friends. That was when the final straw broke. Her necklace flowed around her neck and then… It broke, which caused Kagome to shine a bright light that made everyone on the battlefield cover their eyes.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru –<p>

He was fighting against Naraku's damned tentacles. He turned his head to look after Kagome and found she was handling herself impressively, but because of the moment of distraction he had not seen the tentacles that crushed itself through his chest and leg. He went to his knees and led out a painful growl

'_That is the price for not keeping my attention on the battlefield!'_ he growled in irritation of himself. He was about to get up when he heard Kagome scream

"No! Sesshy!" Sesshoumaru turned his head in surprise

'_Sesshy?'_ only one had had ever dared to call him that, but what caught his attention had been her voice and eyes. She had growled like a youkai and her eyes were red?

'_How?'_ before his brain could present him an answer, Kagome had an incredible speed moved to stand in front of him with her hands over her head, and a barrier had been formed around them

"Kagome" he whispered. It hurt like hell to talk. She did not answer, she did not even turn her head, instead she yelled to Naraku

"How dare you hurt my Sesshoumaru!" when Naraku had just laughed and sent more of his blasted tentacles out to attack, he noticed the silver necklace around Kagome's neck was flowing and then it broke. She started to glow a bright light, so bright that he had to cover his eyes.

When the light started to fade away again he removed his hand and saw he was still in her barrier, but there was no Kagome. He looked around the field to find her, only to see her appear in front of Naraku with a hand through his chest, and though it would have been enough to shock any of them on the battlefield, it had not been what had shocked him the most. No, Kagome had suddenly hair as long as his own, a black and red stripe on each cheek and a black star on her forehead

'_A black star? But that means…'_ He heard in his head conversations he had, had over the past couple of months with Kagome and his grandmother who had theories… How she and Kagome had acted… Kagome's sudden power burst when she saved Rin and the kitsune pup… Now… The mystery of Kagome finally made sense

"Aya"

* * *

><p>Kagome –<p>

She was standing in front of Naraku. Her right hand in his chest, holding the tainted jewel in her hand. Kagome looked at him with her red eyes and smirked evilly

"Surprise" she whispered. She saw Naraku's eyes had widened in surprise and shock, and before he got the chance to act, she started to concentrate on sending waves of purification energy into the tainted jewel. Naraku must have sensed what she had been up to, because the next thing she felt was a pain that burst through her chest. She coughed in surprise and tasted a metallic taste in her mouth, but she could not afford to let it distract her, she continued with sending wave after wave, and she did not stop either when she heard voices from behind, calling out her name. She tightened her hold on the nearly completed jewel and sent another massive wave of energy into it and around it. Naraku screamed in agony

"Let me go you bitch!" he hissed and his movements became more erratic, trying to make Kagome loose her grip. She saw how he slowly started to be purified from the inside out. She gave the purification flow another notch and then she felt the pressure in her chest disappear along with Naraku, turning him into a cloud of dust. Kagome collapsed to the ground, still holding on to the now purified jewel. She gasped for air when she absorbed the jewel back into her body, back to safety. She felt hands around her, even though she slowly started to become numb to the touch and cold air she felt around her. Though it was very difficult and painful, she managed to turn her head and look into a pair of golden eyes

"Sesshoumaru" she whispered in a short breath

"Aya?" she could almost hear the disbelief in his voice and she saw the confusion on his face

"Hai… Sesshy-kun" she answered in a pained whisper, smiling weakly up to him, barely feeling the tear that travelled down her cheek, and the fluid that ran down her lip. Sesshoumaru tore of his sleeve and pressed it against her chest wound she had now realized must have been from one of Naraku's tentacles. She gestured for him to come closer and grabbed his neck, pulling him down, so that his ear was next to her mouth

"I… I will tell you… *cough* everything… but first… we need to treat our wounds… if you want… *cough* answers, Sesshy-kun" Kagome took in a labored breath and saw Sesshoumaru nod. She felt herself being lifted up, and she more felt than saw them flying in the air from the shift in the winds. Kagome tried hard to stay conscience but in the end, the darkness won.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Thank you so much for your feedback and for lifting my spirit : ) Sorry for the short chapters two days in a row, but the next chapters will definitely be longer : )**

**Do not worry; the next chapter is not the last, far from it. I still have 82 handwritten materials left for this story, so many more things are going to happen, so look forward to the next minimum 5-7 more chapters : )**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review : )**

**Love **

**CayaC**


	8. Oh happy days!

Chapter 8 –

Kagome –

Kagome opened her eyes feeling worried

'_The cat is out of the bag…'_ Kagome sighed, and moved a bit but the ache from her body and the pain from her wound made her hiss. She wanted to get up so she could see Sesshoumaru, but her body wouldn't allow it.

She laid herself gently back down, sighing deeper. She had hoped to tell him after the battle and not showing him during it… But when she saw him badly wounded she just… snapped. Of course, she knew that Sesshoumaru wouldn't have gone down by those wounds alone, but her beast had simply taken control in fright of losing their potential mate.

She looked around the room and saw she was back at her old room in the Western palace. Kagome removed her sleeping blanket to inspect her wound. She winched a little from the sight of the wound. It had not healed yet and seemed a bit purple, but it was getting there. She was just glad there wouldn't be a scar, because it would have been big and ugly.

She snapped her head up when she heard the door open, and watched Sesshoumaru enter. She quickly got her sleeping blanket over her again and blushed a bit embarrassed. He walked a little closer and then they just stared at each other in silence. Kagome wanted to speak, but where to start? The beginning? An apology? Ask for forgiveness? Try to rationalize? Kagome breathed in and pulled up some courage. She would try the easy road and get to the hard one when he was ready. She gestured for him to sit next to her, and thankfully he did

"I am… happy that you are unharmed" she said softly almost in a whisper. She had no idea how he would react, how he was feeling… Nothing. His facial expression portrayed nothing, and it made her uneasy. Even his eyes seemed dull, showing nothing of his thoughts.

"How did you survive?" it had not been the first question she had expected him to ask, but she could see reason in it, Naraku did, crash a tentacle trough her chest, and she would have been dead, had she not been quick

"The jewel. When I absorbed it, it became a part of me, it became my new heart. It chose me as its permanent protector" she finally saw an emotion in his eyes and it made her tense shoulders relax, just a little. He looked astounded at first, but it was quickly replaced by sadness, which just made her tense up again.

She cupped his cheek with her hand, holding eye contact, trying to show just how sorry she was and regretful for abandoning him without an explanation or the chance to come up with something else

"I am so sorry… I want to explain, tell you everything… Whatever you…" halfway through she had tears running down her cheeks, but her ramble stopped when she was pulled into a tight hug and felt his nose at her neck sniffing in. Kagome smiled and exhaled relieved, hugging him back also taking in a good sniff. She had not been able to smell him when she had been stuck in her human version, and how she had missed the smell of citrus and the smell from when a summer breeze pass you by with the fragrances of flowers and newly cut grass, it was a unique scent only he had, and she loved it. It could always calm her and her beast down. She gave him a gentle kiss on his neck

"Can you ever find it in you to… forgive me?" she hesitated with the forgiveness part since… you know Sesshoumaru… he does not have friends, he has _some_ he trusts, and if one managed to earn his trust _and_ befriend him, only to hurt him, then she could definitely see him taking it as a blow, especially without an explanation… but again, she could be thinking that she meant more to him than she really did, and yeah, he might have missed her and thought of her from time to time, but nothing more than that. Right now, he could just be happy with the fact that she hadn't died? Left for good? Argh! All those unanswered questions were driving her crazy! She tried to stop her tears, but she couldn't… She felt him pulling away from her and then he looked at her again, and thankfully, he did not seem… angry… But who knows what goes on beyond that stupid mask!

'_Stupid youkais' who can't trust each other and uses masks to conceal oneself'_ she grumbled mentally.

"What happened? Start from the beginning" She sighed.

'_Fine, might as well get it over and done with_'She cleared her throat and started, as instructed from the beginning. Being called into her parents' office, them sending her on the mission of keeping the jewel safe in a place where no one would look for it, Naraku being the reason behind as to why everything was done quick and hush-hush. Her being trapped in a time vortex for some time, her being a normal ignorant human girl, the accidental trip back down the well, the meeting with Inu-Yasha, how she and Sesshoumaru met with her as Kagome, no memory of her previous life, and then when it had come back, then she explained her reasons to keep it secret until Naraku was defeated. The entire way through he had been sitting patiently, listening to her tale, not once asking a question. When she had finished, she just waited for the 'verdict'. She led out a gasp in surprise when she was pulled into another tight hug

"Thi… I thought you were gone from this earth… From me…" she heard him say softly into her ear, his breath making her shiver just a bit, but she was also fighting off the tears that again threatened to fall of pure relieve

"I wanted to tell you so bad, but I couldn't. When I was almost caught I wanted to leave. Then your grandmother figured it out, and then I chose to leave, but as you know, it wasn't that simple" she hugged him tighter

"I wanted it over with so I did not have to pretend anymore" she felt him hug her just a bit tighter before pulling out again, this time cupping her cheeks with his hands, looking her serious in her eyes

"This Sesshoumaru understands the importance of the mission you had to do. What is important now is that you are here again… By my side" Kagome lid up in a big smile, leaned up, careful of her wound, and kissed him on his cheek. She felt a bit lightheaded. So many pounds of burdens had just left her body!

"What happens now?" Sesshoumaru asked, getting back to Mr. serious and stood back up. Kagome thought little about it, she already knew

"When I am healed, I wish to see my parents" she answered with a smile. They would be thrilled! She was not supposed to be back, but now with the threat gone, she could return. She had missed them the last couple of months, since it was only just then she remembered them again. Sesshoumaru nodded and leaned in, kissing her on her forehead

"This Sesshoumaru shall accompany you home when you are ready" he turned and was about leave the room when he stopped and looked back at her with confusion in his eyes

"What is it Sesshoumaru?" she asked, wondering what could be confusing him

"What do you wish to be called from now on?" Kagome nodded lightly, understanding the dilemma. He had first known her as Aya. Her parents and old friends knew her as Aya. But she had also lived as Kagome. Even though she had not lived her early years as a human in the future, she still had the memories of a young human Kagome as if she had lived them. She had lived there for real as a teenager. She had come back as Kagome, and a lot had happened to her as Kagome. She had new friends all over Japan in this era who knew her as Kagome too. She was both. But she decided that she as Aya had not changed in the same way she had when she had been just Kagome.

"Kagome… Call me Kagome. That is who I am now. My parents did not expect to see me again, but they will, but as another person, not the one they remembered. Too much have happened, and living in another time with other ideals and beliefs and so on… I am different now" she admitted, and she had no problem with that. She was grateful for it all. It had after all, been what had led them to this. Her being back by Sesshoumaru's side, with Naraku gone and she can see her family again, oh yes… She was grateful…

"But again, I cannot speak on my parents' behalf on this. If they do not wish to address me as Kagome, then I will not force them, but I will introduce myself as Kagome" she finished. From her memories of her parents, she could not see it being a problem for her mother. It had been her father that had named her much to her mother's anger. She had chosen Kagome's name when she had been 4 months pregnant, so she had been… mad… It would be her father that could pose the problem. He was a strict person, but since she had been their only pup, he had spent at lot of time educating her so she could be ready when she got the official title as heir. But of course, with her 'disappearance' she would guess they had been forced to arrange something else. He loved his little daughter who could always put a smile on his lips. She looked back at Sesshoumaru with a smile

"Then get some rest Kagome" Kagome nodded, and watched as Sesshoumaru got out. When he was out she leaned back and sighed. She had not been up that long but she had no energy. Could it be a side effect from the tentacle? Was it poisoned? Hmm… She could just be overacting. It had been an emotional talk with Sesshoumaru and it had exhausted her. She closed her eyes, welcoming sleep.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru –<p>

For the first time in 55 years he was… ecstatic… Joyful even! She was alive! She had been alive the entire time, hiding in the future. Aya _is_ Kagome. He did not mind that, seeing as he loved Aya, and he fell for Kagome too. He was upset of the fact she had hidden her identity from him for months, but it did not outweigh the fact that she was _here_, by _his_ side.

'_What now?'_ his beast asked a little impatient

'_Explain'_ what had made his beast come out now at a time as this?

'_We have her back, we want her. How do we proceed?'_ Sesshoumaru kept walking, not really having a destination in mind. How to proceed… he had not thought that far ahead yet. The first reason being he thought her to be a mysterious human miko, whom he had fallen for. But her actually being Aya changed things. Even if he wanted to mate with her right here and now, he could not. She was the princess and heir of the Northern Lands. He would need her father's permission, and then there would be the courting period too which was mandatory between the royal houses. The only thing he had thought up at the moment was, he _would_ make her _his_. When she returned to her home she would be expected to find a mate soon, and he would make sure he would be standing on the finish line with his intended

'_As if she would be forced into an arranged mating anyway'_ his beast mused. Sesshoumaru could not help but smirk. He imagined how the poor princes' and Lords would run away in terror from her feisty temperament, not because she was mad, no… But because she wanted to show them the worst sides of herself… He smiled a small smile. No, she would be his and no one else would do for her too, he knew it. He turned his direction towards his study, determination rolling off of him in waves.

* * *

><p>The Study –<p>

He put down his feather, viewing his letter for any mistakes. He had written to Kagome's father, explaining her return and the permission to court. He did not want to waste any time!

"Knock knock" he heard. He pushed the letter to the side so he could seal it later

"Enter" he replied and in came his grandmother

"You knew" he said a bit coldly, he could not help it. She had known, thrown out ridiculous unreadable hints and even with the knowledge of Kagome that might had been killed in battle without the secret getting out… Yes… He was actually angrier at her than Kagome.

"Stop that pup, throw the anger away. Just be grateful she is back" Lady Sakura snapped in a very grandmotherly manner

"You knew" he said again, a little more calmly. Lady Sakura smirked

"Not at first, but yes eventually I did come to know…" She walked straight up to the desk, looking him serious in the eye

"What are you two going to do now? Dance around like two lovesick puppies for a couple of more months or are you going to do something about it?" she asked straight

"Kagome wishes to return to her home when she has healed. This Sesshoumaru has written a letter, asking for permission to court" he answered simple. His anger temporarily defused, since he knew he could do nothing when it came to his grandmother. She was the type to hold her husband's and son, Tashio, in the ears when they had been bad in her eyes. He did not wish to go down that road. He liked his ears just fine as they were. Lady Sakura nodded approvingly

"So, you are calling her Kagome?" he nodded

"That is what she wishes" he answered. Lady Sakura was all smiles. She walked up next to him and in a quick move he was embraced in a hug

"I am so happy for you my grandson. It is time for you to smile again" Sesshoumaru could not help the small smile that tucked on his lip. He felt… happy today… Wow… he had almost forgotten how it felt. But thanks to Kagome, he had the chance to feel it again. He would not let it go, that he vowed.

* * *

><p>2 days later -<p>

Kagome –

Kagome smiled deviously

"I will bet my last 3 strawberry popsicles" she tossed them unto the big pile of candy that was lying in the middle of her bed. To her left, Rin were sitting smiling all girly like and exited, throwing in 3 orange popsicles. Shippou to her front looked at his two cards with frustration

"Hmm… I don't know mama… This game is hard!" he complained. Kagome smirked

"Says the one that has won the last 5 rounds…" she whispered amused. Shippou scratched his head with his tiny claw before throwing in 3 lemon popsicles

"Okay, now the river card. Are you ready?" she asked, taking a card from the deck and tossed it, taking a new card from the deck, holding the face of the card down

"Yes, play it Kagome!" Rin said giggling. Kagome placed the card next to the 4 others. She looked at them. Okay, 6 of hearts, 10 of diamonds, 10 of hearts, 6 of clubs and the last card had been an ace of spades. She looked at her cards, 6 of spades and 6 of diamonds. She had four of a kind

"All in" she claimed, pushing the remaining of her candy into the pile.

"Rin?" she then asked, waiting for the girl to decide. Rin looked from the 5 cards and then to her own 2, and then at her small pile of candy, she shook head

"Fold" she said and tossed the cards aside. Shippou looked at Kagome and then back at his cards

"Ack Kagome! Did you have to go all in? I don't want to lose all my candy!" he exclaimed childishly. Then he huffed and pushed his candy portion into the pile

"Fine. Call" he said grumbling.

"Okay, on 3"

"1!"

"2!"

"3!" they both threw their cards down, face up, on her bed. Kagome had been smiling from the moment she had laid down her cards, thinking she had won, but her smile disappeared, and was replaced with an open mouth and disbelief in her eyes. 2 * 10's? 2 * 10's! He beat her 4 6's! Kagome sunk back down to her back supporting pillows in defeat

"I give up. You have clean me up… I started with a bag of 200 popsicles, and yet you managed to get them all…" Shippou was grinning from ear to ear, collecting all of his treasure in one pile in front of him

"Beginners luck" he laughed out. Kagome grabbed the pup and ran her hand forth and back, messing up his hair

"I kind of understand Inu-Yasha's tendency to put you in your place sometimes little runt" she said while giggling

"I believe the tickling monster needs to punish you" she teased and she kept laughing when she saw the horror on his face

"No! No! Anything but th… HAHA AHAHAHAHAHHA!" Kagome and Rin was tickling all over, making Shippou laugh uncontrollably

"HAHAHAHAHA! Okay Okay! HAHAHA! I will give you a popsicle each if you stop! HAHAHA" he got out between laughs. Rin of course stopped and hopped up and down in enjoyment of getting another piece of candy, but Kagome kept going

"I am not that cheap, no mister… You need to come up with something better…" she giggled

"Okay HAHAHAHA I will hug you and say I love you if you please stop HAHAHAHA!" Kagome stopped and smiled gently at him, he looked up confused before smiling big and jumped up and hugged her tight

"I love you mama" Kagome hugged him back, purring

"I love you too my son" Kagome then smiled deviously and grabbed Rin and trapped her into their hug

"And we love Rin-chan too!" she said in a happy tone. Rin squealed in happiness

"And Rin loves Shippou and Kagome-sama too!" Kagome let go of them

"Now, why don't you go outside and play with the cards for awhile?" she asked. They both nodded and then they ran out of her room. Kagome looked through her bag pack and found her favorite book. Her adopted mother from the future had given her a book of the tragic story of Tristan and Isolde. She had read it 6 or 7 times already; it always had her cry at the end, every single time without fail. She opened the book and started to read it once again.

* * *

><p>2 hours later –<p>

She was a good way through the book, chewing on her thumbnail when she suddenly heard a sound that made her jump up from her bed and drop the book

"What is distressing you" she felt weight at her side, and she turned her head to see Sesshoumaru. She stopped the nail chewing

"It is just this story. Very good… and sad… An emotional rollercoaster… "She stopped… Yeah… because he knew what a rollercoaster was… She waved her hand to dismissive what she had just said when she saw Sesshoumaru's confusion. She picked up the book and placed it back in her bag pack

"How is the wound healing?" he asked. Kagome touched the place of the wound lightly

"Almost healed. I can barely feel it anymore" she answered smiling. He had been concerned by the color of the wound, but it had disappeared some hours later during her sleep. Kagome then got an idea; she retrieved her book from her bag pack and gestured for Sesshoumaru to sit beside her

"Come, and I will read it to you" she offered. She smiled sweetly when he did as she asked. She leaned up against him and then she started the tragic story of Tristan and Isolde.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**Thank you for the reviews : ) I wanted a 'happy' chapter this time, and this chapter you can almost call 'the calm before the storm' since it is not going to be a smooth road for our two favorite characters.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review : )**

**Love**

**CayaC**


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